Shattering Lucy
by fishcaked
Summary: Lucy, at the age of fifteen, escaped her Father's Kingdom and the years of childhood abuse that accompanied it,. She has been floating around schools, universities and jobs since then, trying to settle her mind. Jason, a true British lad finds out he is a Savant, able to heal the injured. A terrible accident forced them together - but how long can they live with the lies created?
1. Prologue

**Prologue**

'Lucy! You better be in your room!'

The fifteen year old quivered against the wall, pushing her fragile body against it as hard as she could, desperately trying to remain invisible for as long as she could muster. But she could already feel her gift slipping, and the shield she kept around herself slipping away. Drained from the abuse and lack of sleep, she was never strong enough to use her gifts for a long time – her Master used to taunt her during training to hold it longer, hold it stronger and when she gave up or collapsed she became the bobo doll – a toy for him to beat up and get his anger out of. He was a powerful man, she knew that, but it was too late.

She knew if she got caught trying to escape His powerful grasp she would end up dead. He was angry enough to start with, and if He finds out she wanted to leave His kingdom, the anger would be enough to kill her. The girl – small for her age, skinny too – whimpered as she heard His guards running down the stairs into the long corridor where she hid in an alcove. It had been weeks since she was allowed a proper meal. She'd only get fed like her brother when she did well in training. She never did well in training, only holding the invisible barrier for a minute or two maximum. Whilst she was impressed, He wasn't. That was never long enough for His great plans of bank heists or armed robberies. The girl was no good for his crude plans, but she never wanted to be good enough. She wanted to escape. She never wanted to look back. Honestly, the girl didn't even care if she would be homeless or not, it was better than living under His power, His abuse.

She edged back into the corner of the alcove even further as the guards ran down the long concrete hallway which led to her tiny living quarters. No electricity or running water, no sanitation or even a bed. For the last thirteen years, since her Mother passed away after years of abuse, she had been living in a twenty five foot concrete cell in the basement of His Kingdom in London, a small window only twenty centimetres high and only opening a centimetre best being the only source of light. Every morning she would open the door to find a worn cardboard box with some supplies in; a change of clothes, two litres of water, some bread from a day or two ago and maybe some room temperature butter and a list of daily jobs. Her jobs included cleaning out the rooms of all the others living in the Kingdom, and an hour of Savant training by His Highness himself. If she did well on her training, she would get a rich and nourishing meal. If she didn't, which she rarely did, she would get beaten up and thrown back into her cell for the night, with the leftovers from the Kingdom. This wasn't what every fifteen year old life like, she thought to herself when planning her escape. It can't be. There has got to be something out there. That hope was worth escaping and even dying for.

Two, four, six, eight, ten. The guards ran down the corridor and into her room, the door jammed opened with the sheets she hoarded for four months when she was planning with this. They flipped the sheets over as she edged out of the alcove, hoping her shield would last she edged towards the staircase.

'Sir! She's not here!' One guard shouted.

'Fuck! Find her now – call a lockdown and we're not lifting it until she's found dead or alive!' He called across the radios clipped to His Guards chests, and she knew it was time to run.

She turned and sprinted towards the stairs, making up the first three floors in record time but her wary bones could not carry on for much longer. She looked down the window on the side of His Kingdom and knew she had only one option. She had to break it and jump. She had no idea where his Kingdom even was; she had grown up within its grasps and didn't know anything about the real world or even how she would function if she escaped but it was worth everything if it meant she was free from His grasps. Lucy edged back up the stairs, checking up and down to make sure the North stairwell was completely clear before breathing slightly, and dropping her shield. She was now visable to everyone who would enter the stairwell so she had to act quickly. And with that thought, she ran full force to the window, smashing it and falling out.

Wounded, winded, she laid of the grass outside his Kingdom – a tall grey concrete building in a shape of a hexagon. Outside, there was grass stretching for miles and a small playground that was completely derelict. There were no signs of human life. There was nowhere to hide. There was no one to contact. Her plan was going up in smoke quickly, as she got up quickly and started to run. Lucy had hurt her leg badly in the fall, the bone poking out of her almost translucent skin, which was already covered in bruises and cuts from His authority. She tried to limp but was crying heavily, unable to focus on holding a shield. She could hear the shouts of people still in the Kingdom, but noticed a large car was speeding towards the building as she continued to limp away, trying to keep her invisibility shield up.

'Get in the car!' A man shouted towards the limping, injured feeble girl but she ignored him, turning to run away but didn't want to head back to Kingdom. She wanted to run away. She didn't know whose these people were. They never held patrols outside of Kingdom; all the patrols were in the building. The girl who was driving to the car turned around, keeping the driver's side of the car towards the building, the passenger side towards me.

'We're not with them; we're here to help you. Come on, get in,' The girl shouted towards me, and the door opened magically. The small girl stood with her mouth wide open utterly baffled by the witchcraft that was used to open the door. People in Kingdom could do the same, but He always told her they all stayed within Kingdom to be safe. Anyone who was a Savant lived in Kingdom, and people who were Savant's would flee to Kingdom's safety. No Savant survived the outside world.

'We promise we're going to help you but we need you to get in the car,' The man said towards me but the injured girl looked at him like a rabbit caught in headlights. The man in the car looked towards the driver, and got out the car and quickly picked up the injured girl, putting her in the back of the car and doing her belt up.

'You're safe now, hun, try and rest,' The girl driving the car said. Lucy stared at her for a moment – the girls blonde hair was let loose around her shoulders, green eyes sparkling and freckles making her already young face look deceivingly young. The man who picked her up got back into passenger's seat and Lucy changed her direction of her glance, taking in the slightly older man's muscles, but they had the same eyes and the same freckles, but the man had casual brown hair. The second the buckle for the passenger was done up, the car sped away, leaving Kingdom – and Lucy's abusive father and brother – behind forever.


	2. Chapter 1 - Lucy

**Chapter 1 – Lucy**

I jumped awake in my tiny single bed, sweating but shaking at the same time. Slowly, I dragged myself to sit up in my bed that I only shared with my hottie – Owlie, wiping away a tear from where I must have cried in my sleep. Honestly, it wasn't unusual for me to wake up after _the dream_ in tears as the psychologist I visit every six weeks told me it brought up recurring bad themes that had happened in my earlier life and it clearly upset me, but I forgot by the time I woke up because my subconscious had already buried it. Matthew said as much, but I believed him a lot more than a woman the Government was paying £355 an hour to listen to me ramble. I believed my only true friend, with a Savant gift for dream manipulation, a lot more than her.

Using the technique Matthew taught me, I scanned the room that I know like the back of my hand. If you looked at it as you walked through the door, my four foot single was in the bottom right corner. A white bedside cabinet sat beside it, with a bottle of water, a lamp, a pot of brightly coloured pens, a notepad, my dream journal and my debit card. A beanbag sat in the corner – a relic from the foster home I lived my elder teenage years at – and there was a pile of university books on the floor which I didn't read before I dropped out. Every year I've been meaning to give them to a Fresher, but each year I forgot. On the walls I've built a collection of photos of "happy memories", ranging from the first school play I was in when I was seventeen on my performing arts course, to Matthew and my picnic we had on Bournemouth beach after his lectures had finished. In the top left corner my oak waldrobe sat with various marks where I had thrown things at it in anger and it's chipped the wood away. Next to the wardrobe, a matching chest of draws sat with a mirror and a vanity cabinet as well, and three or four small bottles of deodorant and make up sat. Very minimalistic – with all white walls and that – but it helped me. Any more than the basics in the room I got disturbed at. If anyone asks what happened before I went into foster care, I pass out.

Here's the thing; I know loosely what happened before I went into foster care, and of course how I ended up in the situation of needing foster care but it's a long story but I don't want people to feel sorry for me, like I was lacking because the only thing I want to be now is normal. I want to be like everyone else my age. So, we start from the beginning.

Officially, my birth was never registered. I had grown up under both of my parents care and had one older brother. However, my Dad soon became controlling and obsessive and used to beat my Mum whenever she done something wrong. If she wanted to redecorate a room in the flat, if she wanted some more food, if she wanted to leave him or if she wanted to get me some new toys – she would get punished. When I was a toddler, Dad pushed her too hard. Literally. She fell down the stairs, breaking her spine and dying. I remember watching over her, laying tangled in her own bones on the floor with a trail of red leaving her hear but I didn't dare say or do anything. Dad was angry, and I knew if I angered him more it would be like poking a pissed off bear up the arsehole. I watched my Mum get murdered in front of me but still remained silent years later. Dad then panicked, packed up his stuff and my brothers stuff into boxes with shipping addresses, filled the massive seven seater and a van full of their belongings. Remembering me, and after weighting up if I had any good use, I only had a small suitcase, one that people would use as hand luggage on domestic flights, to pack my items down in. Clothes, toys, books – anything I wanted to keep would go in there. I remember my brother doing up my suitcase for me, and hiding some of my belongings in one of the massive bags he was allowed so I could keep a bit more. My favourite toy was at the bottom of the bag, but my second favourite toy was in my arms – a pink bunny that Mummy used to make dance to get me to go to sleep. Dad got pissed off – saying I was too old for toys and threw bunny into the fire as he dragged me out and sat me in the back of the van. For hours, they drove. Dad in the van, brother as the passenger in the car ahead. Eventually, we ended up somewhere. I never left that "somewhere" for years.

He named it Kingdom. It was a hexagonal concrete flat block in the middle of nowhere. About seventeen floors of flats, with a lobby. Lobby was ground floor, then floor one to eighteen was flats. Nineteen and twenty were converted into canteens, twenty one was the kitchen, twenty two and three was public shower blocks and toilets, if the one in your room didn't work. Twenty four, five, six and seven were training rooms; gyms and open rooms. Twenty eight, twenty nine, thirty and straight through to thirty five were His rooms; offices, own training blocks, storage cupboards filled with ammunition, bedroom, Brother's bedroom. You name it, he had his own room for that. The rooms worked on a time basis; the longer you've been there, the higher the floor. Newcomers took the rooms on ground one, those who had been there five years had middle calls and those who had been there for ten years, like me, had the top floor. However, I wasn't on the top floor.

He was ashamed of me, of having a female offspring, so I was locked in the basement. Three floors of concrete stairs below the lobby, under all the garbage chutes and generators, down a long concrete hallway with six CCTV's fitted was my room. I had a tiny window, about an inch high which only let in a tiny amount of sun, which meant that I was at the bottom of building but it was still open so the whole place must have been built on a hill. Apart from that, my room was bare. I had a blanket on the floor, a camping pillow which was never comfy to start with but ten years of abuse had shown and was covered in all kinds of natural crap and was flat composed up my bed. There was a sink in the corner but didn't run water or if it did it was only for ten minutes a day and that was for washing the three lots of clothes I had been granted, and a quick wash for me too. A toilet which didn't work, and a rickety chair and the suitcase. Fat lot of good the suitcase did – my toddler clothes remained in there, but the thing I was most grateful for was my favourite teddy – a fluffy owl named Barney.

My life worked almost like a maid in a dystopian film. Every morning at half five I would be woken up by guards bashing at the heavy metal bolted door. In the hatch they would pass me a cardboard box which included my uniform for that day, four bottles of water, some stale bread and room temperature margarine. I would then go and do my work which included cleaning the hallways of thirty floors, washing the floors, cleaning, ironing and serving Him in every way possible. If I did something wrong, didn't reply quick enough or didn't do my chores quick enough I would get hit, punched, thrown against a wall, knock unconscious. If I argued back which I did a few times he would pull out his favourite knife and run it against the flesh on my hip cutting me. If I did a good job, I would get the Kingdom's leftover foods for dinner and it was brilliant, my dinner was sorted. The whole rating scale was based on how well I performed in my personal training. He would take into his private gym and train me how to use my gift. I had a unique gift, He told me, and I had the power to use it whenever. I could hold a shield around myself that would make me invisible. I just struggled to maintain it. If I held it, I got dinner. If I didn't, I got beaten.

However, when I turned twelve and had my first period, He started to show interest in me again. If I did good (good meaning I didn't piss him off) he would at night bring me up to his room and groom me. Let's just say I suffered from sexual abuse of tens of men – maybe even more.

By fifteen, I had had enough. I wanted to die. Any life from this would had been brilliant so I plotted my escape plan. I stole one bed sheet every day and hid it in my basement which no one dared look. That, and the plastic bottles. After a few months of hoarding I had enough sheets to weave a block and fill the plastic bottles with sand from the storage bay, putting them in the middle. It created enough weight to hold the door shut for a while. So, my plan was to run out whe the guards weren't looking using my gift the entire time then jump out the window and run to safety. We must be in a residential area – I mean, you can't hide thirty floors in the middle of no where.

The plan worked, apart from the last part. The flat tower – which it was just a flat tower with modifications on the inside – was in the middle of nowhere. The only sign was a children's park rusting next to it. Then my knights in shining armour came driving over.

To this day, I have no idea who they are, what their names are or how they know each other, but all I know was they were young and both worked for Maui. Maui is a Government agency with the intention to stop massive crimes. It's under the same umbrella as M.I.5 and M.I.6 but Maui is for people who are Savant's. Savant's have different genetic build up allowing them to have this extra sensory perception gift which makes them different from everyone else. My genetic build up allowed me to hold that invisibility shield around myself. Well, it wasn't invisibility. It was more it urged the brain to look away and never see me, so whilst I was there in plain sight, they couldn't see me because their brains blanked me out. So after I was outside, this Jeep came driving up to me at speed, doing a U-turn and this hench bloke picked me up and put me in the back seat. The girl drove us away before we got caught and drove two hours back to Maui headquarters in Guildford. They dropped me off in the hospital where I was put in intensive care for six weeks.

I was dangerously underweight and whenever I saw food, proper meals, I threw up. I was dehydrated. Everything that could have been wrong was wrong. But eventually, they managed to get me eating snacks, then small meals, until I was having three meals a day with eight cups of water too. I got up to a sensible weight, and went into the education department of the hospital whilst under supervision and the teacher taught me everything, from how to speak properly to read and write and spell, to algebra and the quadratic equation to what the mitochondria do. I sat my GCSE exams as I turned sixteen in early July, and got top grades. I was the relocated into a foster kids home about three hours away from Maui, in Bristol where I went to sit my A-Level exams. Four foster kids was in this house, with an adult supervisor. Me, Matthew, Luke and Harry. I was the only female but growing up in isolation having people around me was amazing. Me and Matthew went to the same sixth form college, whilst Luke and Harry went to a different one the other way. Matthew and I were joint at the hip, and we had got straight A's at A-levels (there was no A* where I sat my A-levels, so I got the top grade) and we both got into our degrees in Bournemouth university. Matthew went to study law, I went to study English Language.

I dropped out after a year, moving in with my two current roommates; Dixon and Mara. Dixon was a Savant; Mara wasn't but knew of our existence. After I dropped out, Maui got in contact offering both Dixon and I a job at the new office they were opening in Bournemouth to specialise in all the paperwork and reports. For any crime, a mass of paperwork had to be filed on the Savant and we had to put them in the right place at the right cabinet to keep a clock on any dodgy Savant's – so we both had our nine to fives just down the road but I still ended up doing stupid hours during the night.

Groggily I got out of bed and left the safety net of my own bedroom, still clutching Owlie to my chest as I walked into the lounge of my flat.

'Sleeping beauty is up!' Dixon said, laughing at me as I yawned.

'It's midday, why are you still yawning?' Mara hissed at me from the other end of the smaller settee, peering over the top. Mara had an olive skin tone, brown eyes and long silky brown hair but the warmest of smiles. On her lap was a bowl of cornflakes with a sprinkling of sugar on top but with no milk.

'I didn't come back from work until half two this morning,' I whispered, flopping own on the left hand seat of the sofa on Mara's feet.

'Well, that was stupid why did you do that?'

'I had to get the paperwork for that child murder case out the way, it was playing on my mind.' I mumbled, fussing Owlie.

'I should have finished my Heist case about three days ago, but I didn't,' Dixon said, shrugging her shoulder at me. Dixon had long curly blonde hair from the top of her head down to her bum, with hazel eyes and was blessed with body weight. I however struggled to put weight on and remained like a twig. Skinny lanky limbs, and no matter how many times a week I ate KFC or McDonald's, there was no weight gain. It didn't help the fact I was 5 foot 11, so I looked a bit like slenderman when dressed in black.

'You two sound like you have so much fun at work,' Mara shook her head, watching the Pointless game show that was on repeat. 'Here I am, working hard to secure myself a future,' She joked, kicking her pile of medicine books on the floor.

'We're just putting our gifts to good use,' Dixon said, sticking her tounge out at her.

'Oh yeah, Miss Invisibility over here is using her gifts well by doing a nine five office job writing up murder cases of someone else. I don't see why they don't transfer her up to Guildford,' Mara said and I shrugged.

'It's not invisibility, it's all just perception.' I corrected her. Because I don't just go invisible, it's the perception shield that convinced your brain that no one or nothing is there. 'And I can't go to Guildford for another two years.'

'Oh, yeah,' Mara muttered, rubbing my pyjama leg. As I was 15 when they found me outside Kingdom an eight year exclusion period from Maui was ordered. I was twenty one now, so I had to be twenty three before I even went back to Maui's headquarters in Guildford. 'Well, in two years I'd be nearly graduating university with a degree in medicine,'

'Er, no.' Dixon said, chucking a Mars bar at her. 'You'd be going into your fourth year. You took a gap, remember?'

'Oh crap yeah. Uh,' Mara said, collapsing back onto the settee. 'Well, I'll be around for all your medical needs in something stupid like eighteen thousand years time – if I ever get this paper finished.' She gestured to the floor, where there was nothing there.

'What paper?' I asked, tying my hair up.

'The one I haven't started writing,' Mara said and I rolled my eyes. No prizes for guessing who the organised one in the flat was.


	3. Chapter 2 - Jason

**Chapter 2 – Jason**

One thing I cannot stand in this world, and I am slightly annoyed to admit it, is why squirrels exists. What is their primary purpose? Why do they all act like they're hiding some sort of massive secret? Why do they run like they're in the middle of an Olympic routine for equestrian dressage and more importantly than all the previous statement what the hell is going on with their tails? Why are they so fluffy? Does that not affect their centre of mass and gravity? Surely it does, and especially the way they flick it as they run, they must find themselves off balanced when their tails start to thin.

I tried to refocus myself on the paper document I had on my lap, reading through the details of some gruesome – yet interesting and delicious – murder case. A few months ago I graduated with a first honours degree in criminal psychology and forensic science (try saying that when drunk) and let's just say my degree was definitely being put to good use – by studying dead people in a morgue who was put there by murders, and when the killer was behind bars finding out why and how we can stop future murders. What I'm trying to put so delicately is I study dead people and talk to the murderers how they killed said dead people and why they killed the dead person even though I already know because I studied the dead person. You with it – you got it?

I scanned the rest of the words on the page but didn't really pay attention to any as I was too absorbed by the bugger of a squirrel running around in front of me. Why is he here? Why did I gender a squirrel – why the hell am I gendering squirrels?

'Okay, you need help,' Ella said, tutting at me. I looked over at her, squinting in the light. She lied on the grass outside about five foot away from me and she was lying on her back, hands behind her head but now was on her stomach frowning at me.

'Why?' I retaliated, closing the booklet of a fourteen year olds post-mortem.

'Er, you were slagging off squirrels in your brain.' She simply said.

'Furry little bastards,' I muttered.

'There we go – you need help,' Ella laughed, sitting up as I rolled my eyes at her. I loved Ella to absolute pieces, especially as she now lived in England. She was engaged to my childhood best friend, Joe, and they had a baby together soon after they got together officially, and Lily was now my Godchild.

'Where is your future husband when I need him to control you,' I said to her and she shrugged.

'Like I know,' she retorted. 'Doing something with Lily,'

'How have you changed my best friend from the socially awkward, clubbing-when-I-dragged-him-out, least romantic and family friend stubborn shit into the best father I've seen ever, and in the perfect relationship too,' I asked her, shaking my head. Joe, up until a year ago, used to be a hermit crab, staying in doing God know's what – probably drawing or reading – willing to move into a flat by himself. Whenever I persuaded him to come out clubbing the girls would relentlessly hit on him but he never took it too far. I knew he was a Savant, and a powerful one at that too, and he was waiting for his Soulfinder to fall into his lap so was in a way saving himself for her. I was convinced he would never find her, but it turned out I knew her since we were both kids. We went to the same preschool together, and we even have class photos from when we were three to prove it. At the age of three in preschool we were joined at the hip and loving life, playing airplanes and cooking and whatever normal three year olds did. It was only after Christmas when we were both four turning five that the preschool teachers sent out a letter saying that Ella had died in a car crash. Clearly, she didn't, but the crash was attempted murder and she was relocated to America. It was only because her older brother, Michael, stayed in England that she came over so frequently and Michael was then promoted in the ranks at Maui and was Joe's boss, and mine in a way too, that she came into Joe's life.

When they were both absolutely pissed at an engagement party – and that was how Lily was created. But sure enough, when an anonymous bomb threat (who turned out to be a worker at Maui who was now imprisoned as well as three brothers who wanted to make a Savant statement by killing off the offspring of two very powerful Savant families from across the globe – Joe's family from England and Ella's family from America) they realised that they were each other's Soulfinder. Well Ella knew a lot longer but didn't tell, but I couldn't remember because I was too shocked at the fact _they were expecting a child_ to listen.

But anyway, they moved in together, got engaged, had Lily, and were so committed to each other I wondered how they did it.

'You two alright?' Joe said, appearing out of nowhere behind us. I craned my neck backwards to stare at him. I hated Joe just for the fact he could pull of whatever he was wearing. I blame the height. He was six foot four exactly, which meant he had to duck through most doors. However, despite being able to pull off leather if he so much as found some, he stuck to being simple. A black crew shirt and a pair of blue jeans and some Ray-Bans. On his hip, Lily sat quite happily in her own little world, holding her toy dinosaur to her chest. Even though I thought they had Lily too young – at only twenty one – they were both amazing parents and fully dedicated to the adorable child they produced.

'Jason was slagging off squirrels – again,' Ella said, sitting up as Joe sat next to her, sitting Lily on the floor. As I watched, Lily dropped her dinosaur and Ella picked it up again, making it walk across the floor as she laughed. She was about five months old now, and had grown up quite a bit and was trying to engage in conversation already, but was only doing that adorable talk babies do. She had also learnt to laugh at a few weeks old – which was rare but Savant babies develop quickly apparently, but I wouldn't know. I'm not a Savant. It would be sick if I was, but I wasn't. I was just a mere human next to my shining gold friends next to me.

'Again?' I asked Ella, as she grinned at me. Joe kicked out his legs, dropping the baby bag he hand on his shoulder on the floor as Ella leaned into his chest, putting Lily on her lap who was again occupied with the dinosaur.

'You do have a hatred for the fluffy things,' Joe said to me.

'I don't.'

'Ba,' Lily said pointing her chubby fingers towards me and Ella nodded thoughtfully.

'I don't know if you got that, Jason, but "Ba" loosely translates to "Bad Jason and his undying unnecessary hatred of fluffy woodland creatures who have evolved naturally to have a lower centre of mass to remain stable on thin surfaces such as branches therefore can flick their tails around and remain balanced if you was wondering", I did say loosely but I think that was what Lily was after,' Ella joked and Joe kissed her forehead.

'Haha, very funny.' I snapped, putting my piece of paper with the post mortem examinations in the baby bag. Not light reading when a baby was around.

'Hey, the kid said it, not us.' Joe said, holding Lily's hand. Why did the trio have to be so bloody adorable together. 'Anything interesting?' Joe asked when he noticed me shoving the report into his bag.

'Nothing – just lots of blood for such a violent murder but it's what you expect for a stabbed back.' I said, watching as Ella laid Lily on the mat and she immediately rolled over, looking around the park making some weird incoherent noises to herself.

'Linked to anything?'

'Nope, some idiot just painted her grey and stabbed her three time in the back,' I said, shrugging as Ella looked over at me.

'Painted grey?' She asked, hand on Lily's back as she baby continued to look around the glass plains around Maui's headquarters before coming mesmerised by a small daisy in front of her. 'Sounds suspect.'

'Well,' I said, shrugging. I noticed it was very suspect thing to do. If you wanted to kill someone, most would do the deed, check they're dead and then flee to stop getting caught and try and get an alibi. If it was accidental, they'd bugger off. If they wanted to get caught, or send a warning, or are a psychopath they'd paint their victims grey before killing them, before dumping their body on a river bank in a white top and grey jeans, the paint stuck on the inside where they must have dressed their victims after they stabbed them. I had a feeling like they were trying to make a statement with the murder, but what I didn't know. The girl was identified as a fourteen year old Savant. Fourteen years old and stabbed and left on the Riverside in Reading earlier. The girl was identified positively as a fourteen year old who left home three weeks ago and wasn't see after until yesterday morning by police.

'It's got to you, hasn't it?' Joe asked, picking up Lily where she had fallen down slightly, but it didn't bother the kid as she continued to giggle.

'It's hard not to let it get to you.' I simply said as Lily held out both her arms to me, so I took her off Joe's lap, and sat her on mine gently boucing her up and down like I did when she was only a few days old. She had grown so much since then.

'It's probably just a psycho, what's the major harm that can happen?' Joe said, redoing the Velcro on Lily's shoes as she started to fall asleep on my lap. I suppose my childhood best friend was right. What's the worst that can happen?


	4. Chapter 3 - Jason

**Chapter 3 – Jason**

I sat in Joe and Ella's kitchen later the same day, aimlessly throwing around a meat cleaver and catching it not caring if I injure myself. From here I would see the perfectly serrated edge of the knife, the stainless steel tips pointing away from each other, each tip perfectly filed into position, perfect for hacking through meat or the back of that fourteen year old. I ran my finger slowly the blade, watching intently as each ridge of my fingerprint ran over the pointed metal, digging in but not enough to cut each other. A game I used to play with my best friend, Joe, before he got into a serious relationship was seeing if he would stab me in the back. It was just a test to see how far he would go, and sure enough he just proved he was a wuss and wouldn't do anything to hurt anyone. That was until he was evacuated down to Cornwall, before accidently killing two security guards of terrorists because they threatened to rape Ella when they saw her – his now fiancée. He only knocked then unconscious but when the main warshouse they were next too caught fire and exploded, things happened. Joe and in the helicopter then with Ella, so I couldn't hold it against them. Now, it felt like I barely knew him and his morals but we still continued to be joined at the hip.

However, I could see Joe from where I was sitting, just in the kitchen with his five month old daughter sat on his hip, happily bouncing her up and down as she continued to gurgle at him, the babies arm around his neck, the other hand holding his finger. Joe grinned at his daughter, quickly brushing back her hair. There was some noise in the kitchen as Ella continued to warm up the babies bottle of milk as Joe smiled at her and all I saw in my best friend was love and affection for someone who has been in his life for less than a year. I knew there was something between them, they were both Savant's and each other's Soulfinder's. Obviously I knew what it meant but I wasn't a Savant but the pure dedication and love they have for each other was just insane and I was jealous of that. Not that I would tell them that.

Truth be told, I never understood what the whole "family" jive was all about. I only remember growing up with me and my Mum in a small flat about ten miles from here. My Dad had buggered off when I was three days old for reasons that Mum never told me too, and my older half sister Dooley was already in university by the time I was five due to the extortionate age difference between us. When I was born, she was already taking her GCSE's in preparation. The doctors had told me I was lacking social skills and was already socially isolated when I was three and was enrolled at a local nursery near the town's community centre. It was one of those mama-and-papa's play sessions but with no Dad and a Mum working full time to support me I was left to play alone. Three years olds, looking like a fat potato with a ginger curly hair (Yeah, one point in time I was ginger – it was a rough time for us all,) with no one to play with in preschool. I stood, holding my favourite toy – a fluffy airplane – wanting someone to play with but everyone was with their parents, the workers too focused on the grizzling kids to give two looks in my direction. For about three weeks I played alone, making up imaginary friends until a small girl joined the class. She was the same age as me, as the class was for three to four year olds, but was even more timid than I was. Small for her age, with a blonde bob and the brightest green eyes that I could remember almost eighteen years later. We were inseparable for over a year, playing every day. Every Saturday she would come over to play. This lasted for a year and a few months, until the Christmas when we were both four edging on five. We broke up for Christmas, and I made the girl whose name I couldn't remember some homemade presents. Two cards, a sculpture and a sown together bag that my Mum helped me with. I was so excited to head back to preschool, but on the first day back she wasn't there. Instead, my Mum was given a letter along with all the other parents.

That night, Mum had to sit me down and tell me that girl had died in a car crash that Christmas, along with her family. I was devastated. I went to the memorial for her and her family. I thought I would never see her again.

I could have not been any wrong.

Skip forward a few years of bullying and childhood isolation and I met Joe in the playground and both of us grew up together. Neither of were lookers, and continued to get bullied. It was year seven and the news came into Mum and I one night that Doolie had attempted suicide due to adult bullying. Adult bullying – actually grown men and woman. To cut a long and sad story short I decided I never wanted to live that life and it got better blah blah blah. I went to university to study criminal psychology and criminal science, and Joe got a full time job and then got a job at Maui. Joe was a powerful Savant who was lacking control, so I wasn't surprised he got offered the job he wanted. However, I was completely in shock when my letter was posted offering me a job to look at dead bodies or forensic cases. Of course I took it. Not even a month after I started, Joe was sent down to Cornwall after him and another chick got death threats from a terrorist. A month after that ordeal happened and they both lived I found out they were Soulfinder's and were living together – and then they were engaged – and then they were expecting their daughter. Joe's fiancée and mother of his child? My childhood best friend from preschool for "died" in a car accident but had to go under Witness Protection Scheme and adopted by her Uncle and Aunt and was raised a Benedict. My "dead" childhood best friend was going to married my other best friend and now had a little baby – my Godchild.

'Jason, Earth to Jason,' I heard and looked over at Ella, who was sitting opposite me at the table. She had pushed down my laptop lid and was looking at me expectantly. 'Put down the knife, please.' She said gently and I looked at the butcher's knife I was gripping in my hand. A trickle of blood fell from my hand, where the knife dug in, down my arm and dripped onto my jean leg.

'Where's Joe and -?' I asked.

'Joe's taking her back up to bed, you've been daydreaming for at least twenty minutes now –can you just pass me that knife?' Ella coaxed and I released my grip on the butcher's knife, passing it to her. She made a face as she stood up, putting it in the sink and ran warm water on to bloody knife. She walked back, grabbing the first aid box and a damp tea towel. I bit my lip as she took my hand, wiping off the dripping blood which was starting to clot in some places.

'You've got your figure back,' I whispered trying to make conversation as she cleared up my blood. How was I so stupid to hold onto a blade so hard it cut me?

'Well, I wasn't very big was I?'

True. She had the smallest baby bump I've ever seen, the normal to what people are when they're twelve weeks pregnant. Three days after the birth when she was released from hospital she was back to wearing skinny jeans and her normal shirts.

'You finished bleeding yet?' She asked, only gently dabbing the towel on my hand. Upstairs, we could hear Joe talk to the baby who sat there giggling to herself. Ella smiled softly whilst I looked at her. I envied the relationship she had with Joe, the love between them two even without the Soulfinder bond but it just made them stronger. I wanted that type of love. 'What the...' Ella whispers as we both sat there staring at my hand. As if by magic, the gash on my hand from holding the knife in my hand started to seal itself up, the flesh binding together into a neat pink line. Ella quickly ran the wet towel over my hand and nothing happened and nothing came off. The cut had magically healed itself.

'You might want to talk to Joe about that –' Ella said grinning at me.

'What do you mean?' I asked her, fascinated by the fading pink mark on my hand.

'You're a Savant.' Ella simply said, getting up again to finish to put the baby bottles in the wash as I sat to marvel what she just said to me.


	5. Chapter 4 - Jason

**TWO YEARS LATER**

 **Chapter 4 – Jason**

I pulled up my car in the small turning circle slash car miniature three-bay car park outside the Ella/Joe household, turning off my engine as I checked the living room window in my rear view mirror. The amount of time I had spent at my best friend's in the last three years or so since they moved in was incredible and I was granted temporary ownership of the spare bedrooms for when I stayed over. My own flat, in a cluster home was only a five minute drive from their home and I enjoyed the company as I lived alone. Joe and I always joked when growing up that when we were older, and I had finished university and he was working somewhere we would live together but I guess the plan was out the window when he got with Ella, and then Lily came along too. Whilst I wouldn't place money on it, I wouldn't be surprised if Ella and Joe try for yet another child. I wasn't stupid; I knew how much they miss babying Lily. She had grown up and was relatively independent now.

Before I pulled the car key out the ignition I looked at the thin scar I had running across my hands from about two years ago, when I was so engrossed in my own imagination I gripped the blade of a meat cleaver cutting my hand open. Whilst Joe took Lily upstairs to put her for a nap, Ella cleaned my hand up. And the unthinkable happened. Just like that, the cut healed itself up, closing itself up and leaving a barely visible line across my hand. I didn't believe what I saw, or what El was telling me. I couldn't be a Savant, no one in my family is. My Mum is so against the idea of extra sensory perception she willingly shames any "idiot" who claims such "fake" things for media attention. That's why I started limiting how much Joe could see her just in case. Doolie, my older half sister wasn't a Savant either. I couldn't be.

But over the last two years the unthinkable started to happen. Every time I cut myself either when shaving, or stacking it, or catching my arm the cuts would magically stop bleeding and heel themselves up. Any bruises I got from walking into the kitchen cabinets or into the coffee table in the living room – a common event – they would disappear the second I noticed them. Any injury I had would heal itself. Ella was convinced I was, but she didn't tell Joe. But after two years of convincing myself I wasn't, the boat was pushed out last night when I stacked it down the stairs and broke my leg – but when I woke up my leg wasn't broken. I thought it was a dream but the text conversations I had with Ella this morning proved it wasn't. I think I had accepted it. I think I was a Savant. I still don't quite understand how, or why, but whatever I could do with healing myself clearly wasn't human.

I got out the car; walking up to the front doorway hoping Ella would be home with Lily. I know Joe had gone to work at half eight, so hopefully I could just have a private conversation when Lily was painting or something. As I got to the front door, pulling out my car keys to find the spare key to the front the door magically opened.

'Uncle Jason!' Lily yelled, running up to me. I bent down to pick her up, spinning around the nearly three year old. She was still incredibly small for her age but very well developed. She could have coherent conversations with you, and had incredible hand eye coordination for someone of her age.

'Hey Lils, did you open the door,'

'Ya,'

'How did you reach the door handle?' I asked, putting her down on the floor again. Clearly it was out of her reach.

'I used my head,' She said proudly before running back into the lounge where Ella was sitting on her legs in the lounge. She had her arm around the back of the settee, holding a book in her hand. Lily clambered up onto the settee, sitting on Ella's lap as Ella hugged her a bit tighter kissing the crown of her head as Lily snuggled into her.

'That's my girl,' She said to Lily as Lily smiled under the praise, cuddling into her Mum. They were both in white Baymax onesies.

'What are you two wearing?' I asked in slight horror, sitting down on the other settee watching them two. Lily looked up at her mum, brushing her browny blonde hair off her face. I could see the similarities between Ella and her toddler daughter – the same blondey hair and the dimple in their left cheeks, but Lily had Joe's eyes and bone structure. There so no paternity doubts, Lily was 100% Joe's kid but no one doubted Ella in the first place.

'Your leg isn't broken,' She said, glaring at my leg.

'It was,' I argued back. 'This morning it was – I dunno what happened,' I explained and Ella gave me a look.

'Lily, stay here for a second, I just need to talk to Uncle Jason.' Ella said to Lily, picking up and putting her on the sofa. 'Carry on watching the film, okay hun?'

'Okay Mummy,' Lily said, hugging her toy dinosaur to the her chest before she put the blanket over her legs, which weren't even long enough to hold over the edge.

Ella looked at me slightly, nodding for me to come out to the kitchen. I followed her, ruffling the toddlers hair as I walked past as she laughed at me. I trailed Ella out into the kitchen, where she jumped up onto the counter.

'There's no two ways about it, you're a Savant,' Ella said and I shrugged.

'You know, I think I might be. It makes no bloody sense but I might be,' I confessed up to Ella. It's taken her about two years of constantly nagging, and another year of suspicion on top of that for me to come out and say it. 'But I can't do any of the other shit you and Joe can do – and even Lily now.' I fessed up to her. I tried sitting in my room moving things with my mind, but nothing happened. I just felt like a right knob head sitting there staring at a pencil hoping it would move, but not. I was a crappy, less singing version of Matilda if she never had the ability to move things with her mind. That's right, I was a seven year old.

'You never knew you Dad, did you?' Ella asked, and I went cold.

'No,'

'Then how would you know if he was a Savant?' Ella questioned and I glared at her. A very good point she had just brought up in conversation, I never thought of it that way. 'What if your Dad was actually a lovely guy, but was a Savant and your mum didn't like it, so when you were born and he mentioned that you were a Savant your mum asked him to leave so you grew up never knowing you were. You and Dooley don't have the same Dad, so Dooley wouldn't be a Savant either so you had no idea people like Joe and me and Lily even existed until Joe told you.' Ella explained, flicking on the kettle as I sat down on a chair at the table. Would my Mum do that? Would she deprive me of a father because she didn't want to believe in ESP? Don't get me wrong, she tried to get me to drop out of my psychology A-levels because there was a section on anomalistic psychology which included telepathy and out of body experiences and faith healing but would she struggle with 50 hours weeks to support Dooley and myself, lack that social time with us and work herself sick to pay the bills and so on because she didn't like my Dad being a Savant? She knew the costs of raising a child alone, that's what she did with Dooley, but would she actually kick my Dad out and make herself suffer financially because she didn't like his mind power? I... I don't know.

I didn't react too well when Joe told me about what he can do. We were playing Xbox, and I didn't believe him so he stormed off (he used to be such a drama queen, when he didn't get his way he would just walk out,) and ordered pizza. When I realised he probably wasn't joking I made him show me his gifts, use me a puppet for demonstration until he proved what he could do. It took another month or so of schooling with his gifts for me to understand what he could do, but he was still my best friend. I made him explain the whole science behind it, and the whole Soulfinder thing and he believed it was bullshit and he couldn't just fall for a girl because of their genetics. He didn't believe anyone that good could be paired up with him. In hindsight I severely disagree. Ella was an absolute beauty, and especially in the forensics lab at Maui there were guys eyeballing her as she walked past in the new Maui work uniform for females – black camisole vest and leggings, with a jacket over the top. I dunno how many times I told them she had a kid and was engaged they still continued to check her out. Whilst I could admire her looks, she was like another sister to me – but I could still see her good looks.

'I know it's hard for you to think of your Mum like that, Jason, but it's weird being a parent. I would do anything to protect Lily,' Ella said softly and I nodded. Of course she would. Joe would as well. No two ways about it.

'But would you kick Joe out of your life if he could hurt Lily,' I asked her and saw her hesitate. I knew Joe would never, ever do something to hurt Lily. Joe's wanted kids ever since I met him when we were about six but kept it to himself. He's such a family man, and when his nieces were born watching him babysit them was just incredible. He had such a calming, nurturing feel to him and even I could sense that when I was on my laptop. That feel about him just ten folded when Lily was born.

When she was about two weeks old, Ella went to go down into Reading to pick up some more clothes and other bits and pieces of Lily, as well as a present for her sister-in-law who was also pregnant at the time. Whilst she was only gone for about four hours, having been joined with Sky, her brother's Soulfinder, Ella asked me around to make sure Joe would be okay – and he was. He spent most of the time with her asleep on his chest and when Lily started crying, he gave her a bottle, changed her and got her back to sleep in record time. It was incredible that the lad I grew up with had turned into this maternal fluffy bear.

'I don't think they ever had a relationship like Joe and I do, Jason, your Mum is definitely not a Savant. But love is a weird thing. If I had just met Joe and he was a dick to Lils, I would have left him yeah. No one would and will hurt her.'

We both paused as we heard a car door slam closed on the driveway, and then after a few seconds a key in the front door. The door opened, lighting the hallway a bit more before the door closed.

'Hey Lily!' Joe said, crouching down as the toddler ran into the hallways, wrapping her arms around his neck as he lifted her up, kissing her cheek before sitting her on his hip. 'Where's Mummy?' I saw Lily's hand point towards the kitchen.

'She's having shh words with Uncle Jason,' Lily said, leaning her head on his shoulder. Ella smiled slightly.

'Is she? Are you tired?' Joe asked as he walked into the kitchen, Lily laying on his shoulder nodding. In one hand, the toddler, and the other hand a small bouquet of flowers. He came over to Ella on the side, hugging her and kissing her gently before handing her the flowers as Ella blushed and rolled her eyes.

'I didn't realise you'd be here, or i'd've got you some flowers too,' Joe said to me as Ella laughed slightly. 'I've something to tell you after I put this one down for her nap,' Joe said and Ella nodded as Joe disappeared and we heard footsteps going upstairs as he carried a very sleepy Lily to her afternoon nap.

'Do you think we should tell him I am?' I whispered to Ella as she got a vase out of the bottom kitchen unit, filling it with water and adding the plant food sachet before trimming the bottom of the roses Joe had got for her and sticking them in. They were such relationship goals, and I was incredibly jealous.

'It's up to you,'

'He didn't believe you when you were saying it when I first met you in hospital, did he?'

'Er, no. He said he's been looking in your scatty brain for ages and you've showed no signs of anything Savant related. Nothing,' Ella said, sitting beside me. After a few seconds we heard Joe move around upstairs, saying something softly to Lily.

'Night Mummy!' Lily called down the stairs.

'Night Lily,' Ella called back up again.

'Do normal nearly-three year olds talk that well?'

'Dunno, most are coherent but probably not speaking as well as she does. The developmental psychologist on base says it's to do with the whole Savant aspect, and most Savant kids develop speech and language-based skills a Hell of a lot quicker than other children do of their age range. It's nothing bad, it just might make her stand out from other children and that's only a bad thing if there's someone who wants to get revenge on either me or Joe, which at the moment should be no one.' Ella explained and I nodded. 'She says night because she think when she goes to sleep, so does the sun,'

'Aww,'

'Normal psychological behaviour for a two and a quite a bit year old, lacks the corrective perspective to understand the world. They think the world evolved around them,'

'Still adorable,' I said and she nodded.

'It would be less adorable if you did it though,' Ella said, sipping her glass of water on the table taking two tablets with them. I watched with intent at the size and shape of the tablets – they weren't the right size for ibuprofen or paracetamol, which means she's taking something else. Couldn't be aspirin as she had asthma and they cause a bad reaction. She had a clean bill of health.

'You alright?' I asked her, attempting to grab the box she pulled from a childproof drawer in the table but she put it straight back. She nodded, 'What were they,'

'Just fertility supplement crap,' She said back and I nodded, hearing Joe walk back down the stairs again, having probably put a very sleepy Lily to bed already. Hang on – fertility supplements? Isn't that what you take before or during trying for another baby?

'Ella –' I went, and she just raised her eyebrow at me, completely confused why I was completely confused.

'This arrived at work for you today,' Joe said, walking into the kitchen handing Ella a black envelope with just "Ella Benedict" written in cursive across the front.


	6. Chapter 5 - Jason

**Chapter 5 – Jason**

As much as I desperately didn't want to intrude on their personal business or social affairs, I was intruded to find out what was in the black envelope. Joe looked down at her with a slightly raised eyebrow, handing her the black slip that he had kept in his jeans pocket. He pulled out a chair from the dining table and put it next to her. Frowning, she took it. There was certain rules placed at work for our own safety; never leave anything unattended, you should never contact anyone outside of your work group at work and never leave anything laying around for another work member. These rules could be understood. Whilst there was only one safety breach – which involved the whole Cornwall bomb threats over three years ago before Lily was born (but Ella was pregnant) and they had improved the security tenfold, they didn't want to ever risk anything again. Contacting other members of a different branch of work was complicated as we're all sworn to confidentially and a case will only be shared within each team. Each "team" consisted of about ten to twenty four people, depending on what the strengths was of the team and included two or three people in charge, and everyone else spanning under those two or three. For example, both Ella and Joe were in charge of one team, with Michael being the added third (so if both of them took a day off, Michael could step in and work was distributed fairly among them), and they were in charge of nine others. I was one of the nine, working within the forensic labs but out in the field under their supervision. Of course, I wasn't classified as a Savant so when I was working out of the lab, I had to be under their supervision. Joe loved taking the mick out of me, but I didn't know how he would react when he realised I was a Savant.

'Interesting,' Ella said as she cradled the envelope in her hand, putting down the glass of water she had just taken another sip from. Joe quickly pulled the girl onto his lap, wrapping one arm around her waist, the other resting on her knee.

'Did someone give it to you?' She asked as Joe kissed her cheek.

'Nope. It was on one of the tables in the staff base for us. I found it, done all the tests to make sure it wasn't bombed or drugged or whatever x-rayed it but there's nothing that is suspicious, just the circumstances.' Joe explained, tracing patterns on her knee cap. Oh, I would do anything for a relationship like theirs. Did I mention – I'm extremely jealous.

'Expensive stationary, though, from Switzerland. Female writer – left handed.' Ella said and I frowned at her as she held the envelope up to the light, trailing her finger over the cursive writing that said "Ella Benedict" on the front. . Each place that makes good such as envelopes have certain copy writed and trademarked techniques to make paper which means each would have a certain grain density within the envelope. I got this; Joe just looked confused at her as if she was a female version of Sherlock. Not only that, left handed people put more pressure on the pen, and will leave minute smudges of ink, especially in gel pens, such as the one the writing was written with. Females also have a substantially lighter grip for pens, leaving less pressure point. Slowly, Ella ripped open the envelope, pulling out the piece of paper inside – black as well.

'You idiot, it's just an invitation!' Ella laughed, leaning back on him.

How was I meant to know, it looks ominous as!' Joe protested, laughing slightly but I did notice the way his hand was sitting. Joe was absolutely crap with his subconscious body language, and never notice what he was doing until it was too late. Whenever Ella was pregnant with Lily, Joe always used to lay his hand across Ella's abdomen, even when she didn't have a bump. This spanned from the second they were back from Cornwall to probably the day of labour (which I didn't even know she was in labour because she didn't tell anyone), and once Lily was born he kept his hand around her torso, resting on the bottom of her rib cage. I think I was the only one who noticed the subtle change in his hand gestures as it was part of my job to notice such things. Sure enough for the last three years, since Lily was born, it's always been ribcage. However, now, his hand was back on her lower abdomen. Ella smiled at him slightly as he kissed her.

'What is it an invitation too?' I asked him curiously, and Joe looked at me like he suddenly remembered I was there.

'Er, black tie event for all of Maui members,' Ella read of the piece of paper, noticing a post it note on the bottom, 'Oh – Susan life mine on the table because she knows I never go to my locker,' Ella said, leaning against Joe and once again with the hand positioning.

'Nah, I'm not letting either of you lose at a black tie event again,' I protested for them, and both of them looked at me confused. 'You have one thing to show for the last time you two were at a formal, and she's upstairs asleep.' I joked around, trying to lighten the tone as I got up and flicked the switch of the kettle wanting a cup of tea.

'You got a problem with us having another kid?' Joe said defensively, hugging her around the abdomen as Ella gave me a slight look of interest. But it was more of an interest to how well I played off the answer, rather than what I said. Joe was doing a really crap job of being subtle here.

'Of course not,' I quickly said, not wanting to piss either of them off. 'I just call Godparent again,'

Ella nodded at me and I had my suspicions they were already trying for another kid and if not trying, they were preparing to try. They were honestly the best parents for Lily that I had ever seen. When she was born the sheer amount of dedication that went into raising her, the amount of times I went into their house and Lily was just sitting on one of their laps perfectly content. As she got older and both of them potty trained her, and sat down for two hours a day trying to teach her how to walk and the teaching her how to speak as well. Now, it was rare for me to walk into their house and see them doing nothing. They were either painting with her, colouring, prittsticking, watching films, reading. Anything. Considering I was hesitant when they told me down in Cornwall that Ella was pregnant, mainly because they were only twenty one, twenty when she was conceived, and the fact they had only been together for two weeks at that point of course I was hesitant but they proved me wrong entirely.

'Good,' Joe said, nodding at me before we both laughed.

'Joe,' Ella said gently and he made a little noise, biting Ella's ear gently. 'Jason has something to tell you?'

'I do?' I asked and Ella frowned at me.

'What you said to me earlier,'

'But we don't know yet!' I hissed.

'Joe can help us find out properly. I know you're scared to how he'll react but what can he do at this moment? He can't reach you, I'm on his lap and he can't even yell because Lily is asleep,' Ella explained.

'He can also hear you,' I mumbled, sitting on the counter as far away from Joe as I could. How to put this nicely? Joe always had aggressive attributes and what were the words the teachers used to describe him? Volatile. If anything pissed him off, or went to hurt someone he loves dearly – which during school times was his family and then after Ella or even Lily, he would get ready to kill. When his alcoholic brother went to "take Ella for a ride" when he first met Ella, Joe didn't hesitate and punched him at the same time Ella chilled his brain fluid causing him to collapse. Ella was brilliant at calming him down, but she was just as unsure as I was on how we would react on this one.

'What have you done?' Joe asked in a low, spine chilling tone as he held Ella a bit closer to him.

'Mate, nothing like that,' I tried to reassure him but he shot me the death look. 'Ella, he wants to kill me – can you tell him?' I practically begged of her, and the short girl just shrugged.

'Okay – Jason's a Savant,' She said simply, almost as if the context of the conversation was her telling her fiancée that I want milk in my tea.

'Nah, he's not. Don't worry,' He immediately dismissed the case, drinking from the same glass Ella just did. I deflated slightly, knowing the best case situation – where Joe would talk it through willingly and like an adult – was out of the window.

'No, Joe, listen, he is.' Ella argued back, holding two of his fingers together. Joe looked down at Ella, his tiny fiancée sat in between his legs and the look she was giving him. 'He broke his leg last night, and now he's fine. Remember that time we caught him holding that knife so you took Lily upstairs? The cut heeled itself there and then. Remember what I said when I met him in hospital? The proof is there, Joe.'

'He can't be, Ella!' Joe argued back with her and she flinched.

'Please, Joe –'

'Let's discuss this upstairs where he can't hear us and get any other ideas,' Joe said, just about keeping his calm. He lifted Ella off his lap and placed her down on the floor, standing as he got up and stormed out of the kitchen and walked straight up the stairs.

'It'll be alright,' Ella said gently, touching my shoulder and I immediately felt calmer. If anyone can talk Joe out of his childish tantrums, it would be her.

As I watched Ella almost silently jog up the stairs, I craved for a relationship like that. I wanted someone to be that close, that caring and that reassuring. I wanted someone who could mimic my exact behaviour in order to calm me down. I craved their type of relationship, the indestructible despite anything - the Soulfinder edge to the story that I never thought I'd have – but my mind wandered. If I was a Savant, which seemed more than likely now, I would have a Soulfinder. Someone perfectly suited to me. Someone perfect, really. My reckless brain began to wonder, thinking of what she's like and what my destined (or doomed, you decide) other half was doing right now.


	7. Chapter 6 - Lucy

**Chapter 6 – Lucy**

'Are you picking your nose? That's gross,' Matthew said to me, jumping over the backrest of the sofa and running into the open plan kitchen to grab the kitchen roll for me as I slunked down into the squidgy sofa even further, using my hand as a makeshift cup as the blood continued to trickle out of both nostrils.

'I told you I was having a nosebleed – I wasn't picking my nose I was feeling if there was blood,' I protested back as he came around, gently ripping off a sheet and folding it up, gently placing it under my bleeding nose. I looked at Matthew in the eye, wondering how I ever deserved a friend like him. His puppy like appearance was more prominent when he was around in my flat relaxing, his light brown eyes shining intently with his blonde hair flopping around everywhere. Gently, he raised my other hand to hold the tissue as he got another sheet or two to mop up the blood captured by my hand bucket. Matthew leaned back, grabbing the small vase we had on the table to stick the blood tissues in before he came back to sitting beside me, his arm around me.

'You really need to get your nose cauterised. Bleeding this much this often cannot be healthy,' He simply summed up, rubbing my upper arm to try and get me to calm down.

'It's more a catalyst effect,'

'Even so, this isn't healthy.' He gently nudged the sogging tissues.

'If I don't talk about the abuse, we're fine.' I said as my nose continued to gush again. Matthew sighed, getting another two tissues, folding them up and quickly changing them over but it wasn't quick enough. A steady stream of warm blood was now leaving both nostrils and the second interlude between the now sogging first blood tissue and the crisp one was enough to leave a few splash marks on my jeans.

'Then don't mention it and especially when your nose is having a menstrual sulk,' He joked, walking into the kitchen to get me a drink.

'Menstrual sulk, I like that one,' I muttered under my breath, tasting the bitter aftertaste of iron where some of the blood must have gone down the back of my throat. I pulled a face, knowing no one can see it but realised that it was a result of talking about the years of abuse I went through as a kid. Matthew and I had barely brushed upon the surface – he simply asked at what age did it all start – and I told him loosely about Him killing my Mum by pushing her down the stairs, and taking both Brother and myself to Kingdom – and that's when all Hell broke out in liquid form. I can think about it as much as I like without any physical side effects, but the second I started talking about it, the blood Niagra came flowing from my nose. Not the most attractive look, and especially not good when it happened every time in a psychiatrists office. She said it was a result of trauma, happens quite often. The sheer distress and cause effects such as nosebleeds. It's the same way some people when having panic attacks can trigger nosebleeds, but such events are rare.

However, Maui thinks it could be something more. Maui suggested that He put in a shield in my brain, so whenever I went to discuss something about Kingdom, or Him and Brother, that my nose would start bleeding and it would inevitably shut me up. Well, it worked.

'Here, drink this love.' Matthew said softly, passing me a small tumbler of water, and I slipped it slowly, trying to wash away the stagnant iron taste that lingered in the back of my throat.

'You called me love,' I said, 'You love me,' I joked, twitching my nose but that did absolutely bugger all to stop the nosebleed, so I grabbed another tissue. The vase, normally filled with Tesco's bouquets that were reduced but Dixon's gift of rejuvenation meant they would stay alive for a substantial period, was currently full of my bloody tissues, most of them starting to release the fluid causing a puddle of form of my own blood. I tried to estimate how much there was and guessed about just over half a pint; any more and I would have to go to hospital to get a transfusion.

'Of course I love you, princess. Shame I'm a raging homosexual,' Matthew bluntly said, sitting back beside me hugging me again, laughing. Matthew never took to hiding his sexuality – and why should he? I will always treat him like a brother, and to him I am his kid sister. However, neither of us knew how old we both were. The abuse that both of us suffered – me in Kingdom and Matthew in his small home town in Northern Ireland meant we couldn't remember our birth dates. They tracked down two suspected people Matthew could be on the birth record database under different names, but Matthew wanted a new start. New name, new surname, foster family and date of birth. So he went for the 23rd November, and I went for 25th November. So we went on the idea he's older, and I was younger but we never actually knew.

'We got mail!' Dixon came shouting in through the door, pushing Mara out the way that was left carrying the shopping bags, and she waved in her hand three black envelopes. All of which has the red stamp in the corner of first class mail, and addresses neatly filled out on front. Dixon quickly undid her bra under her shirt and with one – two – slips of the straps whipped it out and threw it over our heads to land on the table. From the angle of the door you can never actually tell if anyone was on the settee. Matthew popped his head over, frowning at her.

'Oh, Matthew, sorry,' Dixon said, running around to grab the piece of lingerie from the table as Matthew just shrugged.

'No problem, cute bra though.' He commented, even though everyone knew Matthew was gay and had a boyfriend and they were adorable together Dixon still blushed under his praise.

'Thank you – oh for Goodness sakes Lucy, what have you done to yourself this time! Mara, get your medic ass over here,' Dixon said, perching down on the table as she continued to watch the one white (with flower print on) tissues slowly get blood stained. Mara, dropping the bags on the laminate flooring of the kitchen, hauled her ass over around the settee, saw blood and immediately ran straight over.

'Bloody Hell – literally. You're Satan.' Mara said.

'How are you a student doctor?' I asked her deadpan back. Mara was now in her fourth year of med school and worked part time in Bournemouth hospital to help her get graduation credits.

'I dunno, Satan. But you've lost a lot of blood already, I am actually concerned. Matthew, can you hold bae's nose about here, a bit more pressure please – that's good - right there,' She took Matthew's left hand, making him pinch the top of my nose until it was uncomfortable. 'Now you lean forward, and neither of you two move. Lucy, this is a bowl. Bleed into it. Forget the tissues, they don't actually do anything.'

'Can I have my mail?' I questioned, and Dixon clicked as she pointed to me, clearly having forgot about them as she flung her tit-sling across the room onto the table for Matthew to see. Actually, in all honesty, it was a cute bra. Suddenly, the blank envelope floated in front of me, with "Miss Lucy Brookes" in cursive silver writing on the front. Quickly I ripped open the seam, causing small bits of paper to fall off as I never mastered opening birthday card envelopes that normal children do around age seven so I had to deal with being a messy card opener. I pulled out black pieces of paper, with a fancy white overlay with gold cursive writing.

 _Dear Lucy Brookes,_

 _As a valid member of Maui, and in celebration of our wonderful organisation and the gifts that the shining key workers within the departments within the UK we would like to invite you to Kensington Garden's for an award ceremony and black tie reception. Food and beverages will be provided by the waitressing staff at the establishment. The date for this event is the 14_ _th_ _May, with a 6pm start and a 2am finish and we ask you to keep to the black tie tradition. Everyone has been granted the day off work except for any emergencies. This invitation will allow you entrance into the building, so do not forget. Everyone is expected to attend, and if you cannot make such an event please speak to your line manager._

 _I look forward to seeing everyone for a good night of celebrations and wishes._

 _Susan McForantian_

 _C.E.O Maui._

'Kensington Gardens? Isn't that where Prince Harry, Kate and their two kids live?' Matthew asked, reading over my shoulder. I rolled my eyes at him, dropping my hand down and immediately covering myself in more drip marks of blood, as Matthew leaned forward to pick up the tissue to hold in there again as Mara glared at me, sticking the bowl under my nose again. I preferred tissues, at least I didn't have to see blood. Gah, I hated the sight of blood.

'That's Kensington Palace, the Garden's are down a bit and have their own massive establishment.' Dixon commented, reading her invite. 'It's still in central London – it must have cost a fortune to hire out the entire hall,'

'The Government is paying for it – also isn't that Hyde park?' Mara asked. 'Why am I even invited?' Not a Savant and not a part of Maui – why was she invited?

'Hyde Park is one side, got a road in the middle then it's Kensington Garden's the other side.' I said and Matthew nodded, 'When is it?'

'Tomorrow – so we have time to go get a dress or something. I think I might actually want to go to this one,' Dixon commented, already adding the date to her organiser that she carries around everywhere. 'We just have to bear in mind Luce can't get a white dress when she's bleeding from her nose,'

'Or just not mention the fact I was abused by my dickhead of a father figure,' I murmured, and I felt my nose to start bleeding heavily again.

'For Goodness' sake Lucy, stop mentioning it. You know you can't, you know that there is a filter, shut up before you hurt yourself even more.' Matthew argued, getting yet another piece of kitchen towel as I started to shake.

'You are losing a lot of blood, Luce, it could be worth a detour to hospital.' Mara said

'No,' I argued back. 'No,' I said again quietly. 'We can go dress shopping in a bit for tomorrow, just give me a moment please,' I muttered and the girls nodded. Matthew shot me daggers as I was still bleeding heavily.

'Can you give her a second, girls?' Matthew said sweetly, causing both Dixon and Mara to blush before the both headed to one of the bedrooms. 'What are you thinking, you bloody idiot. You're not going shopping Satan's blood waterfall is coming out of your nose!'

'It'll be fine. I'll go out bleeding, I've done it before,'

'Yeah when bloods coming out other holes down south, lovely, I get it. But this is different. This is not normal, or even a normal infradian rhythm. Lucy, I love you to pieces you know that but you have _got to_ get your shit together.' Matthew lectured me, throwing the dry tissues in the bin, wiping up some odd drops of the coffee table.

'I have – am,' I whispered, lying down with tears pooling in my eyes. The blood has stopped flowing the second I had stopped thinking about it so when the tissue dropped there was no blood leaking, however I did feel incredibly light headed and dizzy. I realised how disappointed I was about myself. I thought I was getting better; I could talk about what had happened in brief terms to anyone and it wasn't too bad. I was wrong. How could I even assume I was getting better – I will always be under His control. He was the one who put this bloody mind filter in so I couldn't even so much as say anything without giving me a nosebleed, killer headache and low blood pressure. He will always have access to my mind, even though He hasn't been near me in years. I covered my eyes with the palm of my hand, ashamed of crying. Matthew didn't say anything, until he obviously heard me crying and came running over.

'Lucy, please don't.' He whispered sweetly, running his hand up and down my hip.

'You're right, though,'

'Partly - er, stop going invisible. I don't like that. Come _back._ '

Welcome to my household; You have Mara a normal medical student who deals with all our first aid. Dixon, with her Savant gift of rejuvenation which works wonders on dead ends and flowers but we don't know if she can make people young, Matthew who may as well live here for how often he's around with his truth-telling gift meaning he cannot lie or even tell white lies or he throws up and of course there's me, who inadvertently switches on their gift, causing a small shield around me that throws you off perspective of me. Some people call it invisibility but that's not even remotely true. I can't just make my atoms go away, can I? It's more an invisibility cloak – yeah. Think of Harry Potter's cloak – I can do that, but it's more of a skin tight shield. The invisibility onesie. The invisibility morph suit!

'Sorry,' I whispered, focusing on cutting whatever I let loose to start with.

'Look, you need to get it together and by that I mean you need to stop putting yourself through pain. I know you more than anything want to be able to talk about it, get it out your system for at least that verbal reassurance that people are there for you, and people care, and you're not almost hiding it. I know what happened, obviously, but Dixon doesn't. Mara doesn't. You can't tell them. They understand you were abused for years and years but they don't know to what extents not like me.' Matthew said gently, sliding my head onto his lap as he sat down, fussing my hair softly. 'Girl, I would die for hairs like this. Dark Auburn, love it.'

'You can't tell them the whole story though, they won't look at me in the same way –' I went to say, but Matthew put his finger on my lip.

'I know they would stick you in bubble wrap if they found out you were sexually abused too.' Matthew whispered and I nodded. 'Tough subject.'

'Yeah,' I whispered, looking away.

There was a brilliant reason why I never got into any relationships when I was in my A-level year, or first year at university or when I dropped out and worked for Maui like I do now. I couldn't deal with commitment. I saw what commitment had done for my Mum and she ended up dead. That was with her Soulfinder, too. Mum and Dad were Soulfinder's, each other's perfect halves and he ended up killing her because he was obsessed with power. What if my Soulfinder was like that? Obsessive? Violent? I couldn't help but wonder. I couldn't make bonds with people, scared it would be a mirror-image of my younger life. I freaked out when someone was getting a bit too touchy feely with me, and would force them away, run away myself and throw up with just the recurrent memories of those nights where He would force me dress up and almost rent me out. There's a reason I pretended I couldn't hold an invisibility shield around more than three people – would I rather be beaten and starved, or rented out to men and woman three times my age? Of course the former was my option. Those days were all hazy, though, as He must have made me forget the nights as they happened, but they lingered. The distaste of anyone touching me who I wasn't okay with remained.

'I've heard of cases where people get better when they meet their Soulfinder,' Matthew said to me, sitting me back up again but holding me up with a firm hands on my waist. I didn't mind Matthew touching me in such a way. If some guy, like my Soulfinder, dared such a move if we ever meet I would deck him.

'Same, but how would finding my one true love or whatever help me with an issue like me? I don't trust anyone, I can't deal with anyone apart from you and the Mara-Dixon combo touching me and I'll take about four years to come around on someone giving me a hug. I'm scared of relationships, how would finding me my ideal guy for an ideal relationship help me in the slightest?' I protested back.

'Your guy would have to be a very persistent and brilliant man,' was all Matthew said, slowly calming me down as the world kept spinning. 'Listen, we're staying in to find you a dress online. I'll pay and even get the same day evening courier for you. I can't let you go out when you're in this state,'

'Fine, I'll get my laptop.' I protested, getting up as Matthew forced me to sit down again as I started to sway.

'No, stay here, I'll get it.' He said, but my mind was caught on what he just said. A very persistent and brilliant man? He would have to be a few more things on top to even so much as gain my trust, a vital for relationships, but could there be someone that perfect out there just waiting for me? Sadly enough, it seemed unlikely.


	8. Chapter 7 - Jason

**Chapter 7 – Jason**

'Fine, get in there,' Joe said a bit too harshly for my own likings, pushing me a bit too hard as I tripped into the Cube. The Cube was a facility on base used to interrogate individuals who are refusing to deny their status as Savant's. Recently, Maui has developed a form of sound wave, which can only be recreated within the Cube's environment of low air and high air moisture at certain temperatures and when hearing this wave, it blocks all Savant's abilities and make them writhe to the floor in agony. I wonder why I was here then. I glared at my so called best friend through the glass, with his face of stone as he kicked the door shut. All the walls of the Cube were glass, surrounded by different monitors.

I looked around the otherwise empty monitoring room, praying that Ella would come up any second now to prevent me from having the awful experience I would no doubt endure.

'What the bloody hell has happened to you, Joe?' I shouted back, knowing he had put the speakers on to hear me.

'I'm not having this crap from you, you can't be a fucking Savant.' He growled and I paused for a moment, taking a step back away from this.

Joe is the softest, wuss of a guy you'll ever meet. Built like a Greek God with muscles coming out of his everywhere, tanned soft skin and almost gymnastic stance he had gained from 16 years of gymnastic classes he looked like he would deck you in the face, but he had the softest personality ever. He hated confrontations and arguments and if you so much as picked on him he would just ignore you until you were calmer, and he would never argue back. That was before he met Ella. Since Ella came into his life, he had been so docile and calm it's been amazing. It was like he was always on some crazy happy tablets that made him want to pick wild daisies and make flower crowns for Royalty or something. And then Lily, and he became a viable nomination for every fatherhood award ever. But seeing him like this terrified me. He was never like this. It wasn't like him. I think something clicked in my head when I realised it wasn't like him at all and he might just be acting under duress. But why? I tapped my foot praying for Ella to come quickly. She had gone to her brother's office to hand over Lily for a second so she can work on whatever had happened to Joe.

One second, Ella and Joe were upstairs talking as I sipped my cup of tea, petrified of losing my best friend. Suddenly, he stormed down the stairs holding Lily, who was just about waking up from her sleep, grabbed my arm and forced me into the car, muttering obscenities under his breath. Ella came downstairs following his every step, trying to talk to him and calm me down but he completely ignored her, like she never existed. She was the one who said to me in the car, as he continued to ignore her and a sobbing Lily in the back seat of the car, that they were just talking and he slowly believed the idea when suddenly he snapped and stormed off without realising she was there. She said it might be some sort of duress – it wasn't him, though, 100%. He parked the car, dragging me off as Ella picked up Lily and ran t the office. I was left alone with the madman, waiting for her reappearance to calm down her husband to be.

'Stand in the middle.' He said monotone.

'No.' I argued back and I got a look of stone.

'I said, stand in the middle.' He said, looking up at me from the counters near the switch and I could see his muscles ripping where he was getting angry.

'No, not when you're like this.'

'Get your fucking arse into the middle or I swear to fucking God...' He started to yell.

'What do you swear, Joe, go on.' Ella had come in running from the door at the speed of light, skidding slightly, and stood about fifteen feet away from Joe, hesitating on her haunches just in case she needed to get out or come get me from the Cube. I had never seen her so scared before.

'Ella, get out.' Joe told her, keeping his tone level.

'No, make me.' She argued back immediately.

'I said, get out.' Joe even snapped at her, and Ella winced but still stood her ground.

'And I said once you snap out of this you're getting your ass straight into anger management sessions, this is bullshit Joe. What has got into you?' Ella said, walking towards him slightly. She tried to mediate with him but he ignored her.

'Where's Lily?' He asked her, avoiding eye contact and watching the door. I stood awkwardly in the Cube, watching the lover's massive tiff.

'Now you're asking about your daughter. I gave her to Jake to look after – there is no way in Hell she is seeing you like this. You terrified her, Joe, you get that, right? She was crying after you stormed off with Jason. You're treating him like a hostile because we simply said we think he's a Savant. You were alright with him when we were talking and suddenly you snapped and let all Hell loose on him. You made your own daughter terrified of you for a while there. How could you? Do me and Lily suddenly mean fuck all to you?' Ella argued and Joe suddenly deflated. All his tension had suddenly left in a cloud of air. 'I thought you wanted another child, and then you go and act like this?'

'Ella...' Joe said softly, holding his hand out to her but she didn't even look at it. I awkwardly sat down in the Cube, hugging my knees towards me as I continued to watch the argument with renewed interest. I mean, if this was in EastEnder's, it would be nominated for all kinds of awards.

'No, Joe,' She simply said. 'Go find your daughter and your brother and you make it right with her before you even come back to me.' She said, shrugging, and she looked like she wanted to cry. Joe slowly walked out the room, looking over his shoulder at Ella with just regret and remorse in his eyes. Joe hesitated in the doorway, but as neither Ella nor I moved, he walked out. Quickly, I got up, walking over the metal door one side.

'Ella, can you unlock me please?' I asked her gently and she nodded, slowly walking up to the lock, unhooking it. The heavy metal door swung open, catching Ella's arm. There was a moment where both of us looked at each other in the eye, before Ella burst out into tears and I walked forward to hug her, cradling her gently as she continued to cry into my shoulders.

Five minutes or so later, Ella had managed to regain composition of herself as she wiped away the odd tear.

'What the hell,' she whispered, completely devastated.

'I don't know, I really don't know.' I said, hugging her tightly. Never has Joe even been remotely aggressive and then he does all of this. It was so out of character. 'How was Lily after she got out the car with you?' Joe had driven us all down here, with me in the front seat, Ella in the back with Lily in her car seat. Lily was heartbroken by the change in her Dad's character – she asked the entire way there where they were going, and other cute things but Joe ignored her completely. She had broke down crying the entire way there, Ella moving across to the middle seat to try and calm the toddler down.

'Terrified, absolutely terrified. She asked if he was leaving, she cried, she wouldn't settle down at all. I eventually found Jake with Michael in their office and told them, and both of them are out to kill Joe at the moment. Michael was fuming he had hurt me and Lily, so was Jake really. I don't know if he was being himself though, or if someone made him say all of that. I really think he might be under duress,' Ella said, coming into the Cube to switch of the mains within there.

'What do you mean?'

'Joe has never, ever been aggressive or even hostile. I've pissed him off several times to the max and nothing. It was like someone had control of his brain and what he was saying,'

'Yeah, actually, it wasn't even remotely like him. He would never do that to you or to Lily.' I said as Ella turned off the mains within the cube. She came over to me, ready to leave and deal with her incredibly pissed off Soulfinder and terrified toddler. I have no idea how she would explain this.

The door of the cube slammed shut, and the metal doors three-hook lock slammed into place, locking both Ella and I in. The lights within the Cube initiated again as the machine turned on.

'What the,' Ella whispered, watching as the controls started to move themselves into the correct position. She slowly backed over to me, and I put my hand on her shoulder blade. 'That's not you, is it?'

'No, that's not you?'

'No,' She whispered. Slowly, and almost imperceivable we saw a marker – black but had a grey nib- move towards the window. Ella hit my arm gently, getting me to pay attention to the marker. I jumped back slightly.

'What's it writing?' I asked, watching the liquid chalk marker start to write on the wall.

'So, what Joe said wasn't Joe. This is all a massive set up,' Ella whispered, and even though she was so concerned of what was happening – we were stuck in a glass cube, with all the settings set to make that noise that cause Savant's to collapse to the floor clutching their head and unable to use their gifts - she was thankful her husband to be wasn't a complete twat. I guess I was too. 'I'll get Joe,' She whispered as the writing continued on the glass, despite the fact it was back to front you could still see what they were writing.

Ella must have telepathically reached for Joe, as the writing continued at a pace on the window.

'Ella,' I said, when the pen dropped to the floor. She looked up, frowning at the writing before her face completely dropped.

On the glass, in grey liquid chalk, the words were clear.

 **THIS IS** **YOUR FINAL WARNING**

Suddenly, we saw the button for the Savant-killing noise turn bright red before being smashed down. Both Ella and I fell to the floor, clutching out heads. The pain was excruciating, like my brain was melting through my ears. I closed my eyes, not being able to see Ella, as the darkness of unconsciousness had surrounded me.

* * *

Hello! Sorry for the lack of updates than everything at the same time! I've had a backlog and I just forgot to proof read them as I got carried on with the story! Anyway, as some may know there are some Fanfiction awards for the Finding Sky category, and this book and the prequel, Capturing Ella, has been nominated for over ten awards! I honestly cannot thank you guys enough for nominating these books for these awards, it really does mean everything. The link to see the full nominations and to vote is here;

topic/187591/147253694/1/VOTING-FOR-THE-WINNERS

Also, if you go into the forums tab, then books, then "F" and find "Finding Sky", it's under BookMove's forum (or in the Finding Sky book tab, there's a small forum button in the top right corner)

Anyway, hope you've enjoyed this so far. The next chapters from Joe's POV to kind of explain what's happened when Jason's unconscious and Lucy's bleeding everywhere! :)


	9. Chapter 8 - Joe

**Chapter 8 – Joe**

I stopped dead still on the top of the flight of stairs that led to Jake's and Michael's office, completely baffled to how I got here. I looked around and saw that, sure enough, there was no one milling around. How the Hell? Why do I have such a bad headache? I tried to think back to the last place I remember being, and it was at home with Ella in the bedroom explaining to me that Jason was a Savant. She had been so patient with me, sitting me down on our bed and explained through every small detail starting from the time they first met down at Plymouth hospital, to the time he called us when we were in Colorado because he broke his wrist but it had fixed itself. I had just started coming around on the idea, realising the possibilities lie within Jason's Dad – a man he never met because he walked out when Jason was only a few days old. I wanted to ask him about it, try and track down his father to figure out if there was a biological link... but I can't remember what happened from there. I just suddenly woke up from numbness at the top of the stairs.

That's when I heard Lily's cries, and immediately started jogging towards where the sound emanated from; Michael's office. I hovered outside for a moment, noticing Jake's voice, Lily's sobs and Michael's angry murmurs before I opened the door.

'Lily? What's wrong?' I asked as I walked through the door, walking to go and pick her up but something stopped me. The steel like gaze from my brother, and my brother in law to be – maybe it was that? Lily continued to sob, hugging Jake as he was squatting down beside her. In her arms, she held a damp Dinosaur but she looked at me and flinched away, hiding her face into Jake's stomach as she cried. 'Lily?' I asked softly and in shock.

Michael came up to me, his jaw muscles rippling as he clenched together, and stood in front of me. I didn't even see the punch coming until it hit me straight in the face. I staggered back slightly, holding my face. The pain was sharp.

'Dude? What?' I protested in shock.

'How dare you treat Ella like that? And Lily? Your own daughter?' Michael shouted at me.

'What do you mean? What's wrong with them?' I asked. Had something happened to Ella? I mean, Lily was in pieces and Ella was nowhere to be seen – is she okay?

'Drop the act, Joe.' Jake snapped at me from across the room, picking Lily up.

'Does Daddy hate me?' Lily whispered to Jake.

'Of course I don't Lily?' I whispered, walking across the room face still throbbing from just being decked from Michael, my future brother in law, to stand next to Jake. Slowly, I prised my daughter from Jake's unwilling arms, and held Lily tight. She still sobbed. 'Why would I hate you?'

'You were mean to Mummy, and to Uncle Jason, and to me and Dinosaur,' She whispered softly still sobbing, and I held her tightly.

'I was mean? What do you mean? I would never be mean... I would never upset you, dinosaur, Jason or Mummy,' I mumbled in utter confusion looking over at Jake who just tilted his head at me.

'Michael, I don't think it was him,' Jake said, walking over to the other side of the room. Michael just frowned and stared at me, holding Lily to my side like she was a last strand of humanity to a dying man as I desperately tried to calm down my toddler. 'I don't think he would intentionally hurt Ella or Lily, look at him.' I kissed Lily's forehead, holding her Dinosaur as she continued to cry.

'I'm starting to think the exact same thing...'

'Joe – where's Ella?' Jake asked with a sense of urgency in his voice.

'She's at home, where this one should be too,' I replied back. I frowned at Lily – how did she get here?

'No, you drove her, Lily and Jason into base not even ten minutes ago, where is Ella and Jason?' Michael asked.

'I did what? No I didn't...' I muttered, looking at Lily who just looked at me confused. How did I end up here, then? 'Where are they?'

'Jake, look after Lily for a second,' Michael said, as Jake walked over and plucked his niece from my arms. 'Joe, we need to find them,'

I nodded, jogging out of the room wondering what had happened. Michael followed suite, closing the door behind him. We both jogged down the stairs together.

'You better not be lying,' Michael growled at me as we walked along one of the glassed corridors, checking each room as we passed it.

'I don't remember how I got here, I don't know why everyone hates me and I really don't know why you decked me,' I argue back with him and he frowned at me.

'Ella came into our office on her day off in a panic with Lily crying, saying that you had just flipped, starting yelling at Jason and ignoring her and Lily, drove them all into work, dragged Jason off somewhere. She asked if we could look after her and calm her down whilst she went to go and calm you down because you had lost your shit at Jason,' Michael told me.

'I did what? No, I couldn't have done that. I would never upset either of them – you know that,'

'You did, though, so when you suddenly appeared with no sign of either Ella or Jason with no memories of anything, not even how you got there, it seemed a bit suspicious.'

'You think someone could have been making me say those things?' I asked and Michael nodded, as we checked out another meeting room, left empty. Oh God, Ella, please be safe. I would never forgive myself if something happens to either Ella or Jason now.

'Which means two things; there's a security breech on base and Ella and Jason are in trouble right now –'

Just as Michael said that we heard the warning bells start to go off from the room three doors up; the Cube. Built only last year, it was perfect for interviewing suspects of crimes that are on a massive magnitude. They can be observed from three sides, the glass walls can be frosted so those inside the cube can't see out, but everyone outside can see in. Fitted with all the latest security features and PolyGram detectors, it was near enough fool proof. There was a testing feature the Maui scientists had been working on; a high frequency noise that anyone within the radius of it going out would be made to writhe on the floor in agony before passing out. It was still in testing, obviously, and no one knew what the effects would be either. They built in alarm bells and marked the floor with the radius to keep safe of the white noise.

But if the bells were going off, it meant someone was in the cube and the sequence to the white noise had been submitted. Michael and I looked at each other and I started to jog off as Michael caught my arm.

'Joe, no. You can't go near there when the white noise frequency is going out – you don't know if it's safe,' He tried to hold me back.

'Ella and Jason could be in there, they could get hurt - I'm not going to let them,' I argued back and he nodded smiling slightly as he realised whatever I must have said to Ella and Lily wasn't me – but my heart sunk. If someone made me say all these things, and even perhaps lead Ella and Jason to the Cube, it meant they probably would have set off the alarm too. Which meant we were in the middle of a set up. Realising this at the same time Michael did we both sprinted down the corridor as a wave of power went over us both, and I felt a massive migraine hit me straight away but I didn't focus on it, too worried about my Soulfinder and my best friend. I ran around the corner of the room holding the Cube, and my heart dropped.

Ella and Jason were lying on the floor of the Cube, completely unconscious. On the glass wall, the words "THIS IS YOUR FINAL WARNING" was printed.

'Crap!' Michael shouted as I ran towards the door of the Cube – unlocked. 'You get Ella,' Michael told me as I ran over to my fiancée, skidding slightly on the floor as I knelt down beside her. She was laying on her side, curled up, a trail of blood coming out of her nose. I quickly pushed my finger against her wrist and felt a very slow pulse – alarming slow. She was only just about breathing too.

'She's only just about breathing,'

'So is Jason – we need to get them to the hospital now.' Michael said, and Susan came around the corner in that second.

'What has gone on in here – I was watching the CCTV... Ella! Jason!' Susan said.

'Get the paramedics,' Michael ordered her and she immediately radioed for back up. I gently picked up my fiancée, holding her to my chest as her blood started to soak my shirt but I didn't care.

'Ella, I'm so sorry. I'm so, so sorry.' I whispered, kissing her already cold lips. She was absolutely freezing, something that hadn't happened in quite a while. Susan pulled out her phone and took a picture of the liquid chalk on the glass. What had happened? What had I done to them?

I sat in with Ella in her hospital room, pulling the chair to the side of her bed anxiously waiting for her to wake up. They couldn't guarantee any side effects from the white noise, but if they were going through worse than what Michael and I was at moment, we could only thank the Gods that they were unconscious. Michael and I had only briefly been touched by the leftover white noise and both of us were suddenly severely dehydrated and had the worse headache known to man. Both Michael and I had just come off our saline drips they gave to us, and had codeine to try and dull the headache which had worked slightly. Ella and Jason were still unconscious, though, even after seven hours.

'Will Mummy be okay?' Lily asked where she was sitting in my lap, laying against my shoulder half asleep. We had to explain to her what had happened but in relative child terms. She seemed a bit tentative around me at first – which killed me – but now she was fine.

'She'll be fine, Lily,' I told her, catching her dinosaur where she let it drop as she started to fall asleep laying against my sternum.

'Will she hate you? I don't want you and Mummy to break up,' Lily whispered.

'Of course we're not going to break up, Lily, and Mummy won't hate me... she'll understand.' I said, but I was just guessing. Lily suddenly tried to wiggle out of my grip and onto Ella's hospital bed.

'Where you going, Lils?' I asked, holding onto her slightly.

'I want to hug Mummy - she might not be asleep if I do,' Lily whispered and I smiled gently, picking her up a bit more so she could safely crawl onto the bed. I watched as Lily curled down on the right side of Ella – the side that had a guard up, and kissed her cheek sloppily before she curled up hugging her. I smiled at her softly.

'Does Mummy know I love her?' Lily mumbled as she hugged a sleeping Ella.

'Of course she does,' I answered back.

'Do you know I love you, Daddy?' Lily asked me back, her big green eyes giving me the puppy dog look and I smiled back, leaning over Ella to put my hand on her back, my other hand stroking Ella's hair.

'Yeah, and I love you too. Can you look after Mummy when I go and find Uncle Michael? Can you call me if she wakes up?' I asked Lily as she yawned. It was way past her bed time but both of us didn't want to leave Ella.

'Ya,'

'I'll just be a second,' I said to my toddler, kissing her on the cheek, before kissing Ella on the lips and double checking they were both okay before I left the room. I walked past Jason's room and he was still sleeping deeply, and doctors said he wouldn't be awake for the next few hours at least, whilst they said Ella could wake up within the next hour or so. The investigation was still ongoing to what had happened but it had already passed that it was someone else controlling me to do such a thing to both of them, before making me forget. They had already dropped any charges of criminal intent against me and granted me 24 hour permission to the hospital block for both Ella and Jason. I knocked on the family room at the end of the wing before heading in.

'Is she awake?' Michael asked, on his laptop already typing up the case so we could get it filed.

'Not yet, Lily's looking after her for a second. How you feeling?'

'Like absolute shit,' Michael said, 'You?'

'Could not have put it better myself,' I mumbled, sitting down on the sofa next to him. 'What about the investigation? Anything yet?'

'Nothing – the square root of fuck all. You don't remember anything, we can't talk to Jason or Ella to see if they remember anything, there is nothing on CCTV at all, nothing makes any sense.' Michael confessed. 'What do they mean this is our last warning? We had no other warnings anywhere. We don't even know what they are warning us about, it's a shit last warning.'

'Do you think we'll ever find out?'

'Potentially not. The person who did the thing to control you can already be in Switzerland if they moved quick enough,' Michael shrugged. 'Do you want me here?' He asked, trying to hide a yawn.

'Nah, you can go home if you want, sleep it off.' I said to him as he quickly closed the laptop lid, shoved it in the holdall he had with him and got up, quickly one-armed hugging me.

'Thank God everyone is okay – or will be... sorry for punching you.' Michael said slightly awkwardly, finding his car keys in his back pocket.

'No, I told you to punch me if I ever upset Ella or Lily – also, you have a very good aim.' I said. I had noticed I had a black eye from the punch, but I couldn't blame Michael. Jake, who had since come to visit Ella in hospital bringing Lily with him, said if Michael hadn't hit me, he would have. Ella and Lily were _that_ upset by whatever I had done to them.

'See you tomorrow, bro, make sure my sister is okay,' Michael said walking out of the room and down the corridor, clearly so shattered. He had been at work all day, though, before this happened. I would be shattered too but the only reason I wouldn't go home was because my future wife was in one room, my best friend the room opposite and down the hall a bit. As I walked, I double checked Jason was still under – and he was, on a drip and heart monitors and a sleep monitor which showed him in REM sleep. Wouldn't be awake for a while, then.

I slowly walked back into Ella's hospital room to see Lily fast asleep on Ella's chest, like she did when she was a baby, and Ella hugging her gently, playing with her hair with the hospital blankets over the toddler as well.

'Ella,' I whispered gently, and she looked at me with venom in her eyes, holding Lily a bit tighter.

'Joe... I-'

'I am so, so sorry, Ella.' I said, sitting down in the chair but I noticed she flinched away a bit more. 'Really, love, I had no idea what I was doing, I can't even remember what I said or what happened. I would never hurt you, or Lily, you know that. I love you, both, to absolute pieces. I am so sorry.' I said to her, brushing her hair away slightly as she started to cry.

'I thought you hated us,' she whispered through her tears in a small voice that sounded like it came from very deep inside her. I hugged her as best as I could, her unable to get up because of Lily on her chest.

'Never, I could never hate you.' I whispered to her, kissing her cheek as she sobbed. It took another ten or so minutes for her to calm down, rubbing her eyes as Lily rested on her chest.

'How do you feel?' I asked her, hand resting on her collar bone.

'Like shit,' she whispered, rubbing her eyes, 'Almost like having an incredibly bad hang over, but seventeen times worse,' She mumbled and I nodded. That was the way Michael and I had described the pain, too, but evidently Ella and Jason would have it worse. 'It's not even handy that I can't drink it away,'

I smiled at her, kissing her jawbone. We had been planning to try for another baby once she had finished her course on contraceptive tablets, but we had read up on how to do everything properly (Lily was a mistake, and Ella didn't even know she was pregnant until about fifteen weeks) and she was already taking fertility supplements and had stopped drinking alcohol all together – not that she was a big drinker to start with, she just liked the odd Caribbean Twist with dinner or a glass of wine after a bad day at work. At the moment, she was still on the pill so nothing would happen but we wanted to be prepared. We both desperately wanted another baby as we had to admit to ourselves Lily had grown up and we could no longer baby her the way we used to do. Also, having a little brother or sister would do Lily good.

'It'll be worth it in the end.' I mumbled to her.

'Mmm,' She mumbled back smiling at me. 'Did someone punch you?' She suddenly asked, realising I had a black eye.

'Yeah, I pissed your brother off because I upset you and Lily,' I said back.

'Michael can't just hit you!'

'We've sorted it, it's fine, go back to bed, love.' I whispered to her, kissing her softly.

'Will you be here when I wake up? Can you make sure Jason is okay too? ' She asked, already drifting off.

'Of course I'll make sure that idiots fine, but I'll still be there when you wake up. Where else would I be?'

* * *

Here's the link for the Finding Sky Awards again; topic/187591/147253694/1/VOTING-FOR-THE-WINNERS


	10. Chapter 9 - Jason

**Chapter 9 – Jason**

My worst hangover I've ever had, on my 19th birthday, seemed tamed compared to this. I had somewhat resurfaced from the deep slumber I was in only to be greeted by a banging head, feeling like absolute shit, and wincing at light even though my eyes were closed. Although, the memories of what happened were vivid in my mind. Watching Joe flip and turn into the biggest idiot known to man, being hostile to Lily and arguing with Ella in front of me. He was also an utter twat in front of me, forcing me into the Cube, not caring if he hurt me. What had got into my best friend? Not only that, the soft puppy Joe was around Ella and Lily had lost it in front of them, causing the three year old to cry uncontrollably, meaning Ella had to hand him over to Michael before trying to come and consol Joe. She did an okay job, I guessed, fighting back her tears enough to get him out of the room so he wouldn't hit the white sound noise. Instead, someone did it telekinetically – that was after writing on the glass.

I sighed loudly, knowing I was in the centralised hospital base within Maui – any injuries that happened on base were required to be checked out within this hospital and as Ella and I just magically passed out from the horrible Savant-killing noise they had developed, that was only to be used in mild doses, no doubt we would be in here. I don't get what happened – Joe wasn't in the room. Someone had managed to skip over all the safety limitations – which included four buttons to be pushed at the exact same time on different sides of the Cube. It was all done telekinetically after the warning was written on the wall.

'I feel like crap,' I muttered to myself.

'You look it too, mate.' Joe said and I crooked open an eye. The light in the room blinded me. Joe, who was leaning against the wall frowned at me – his eye bruised quite badly. Quickly, he turned off the lights in the room and pulled the blinds, leaving just a small lamp on so I could open my eyes without feeling like I was being stabbed in my brain. Still had the worst headache known to man. I frowned as I pulled off my oxygen mask and looked at the IV saline line.

'You're a dick,' I mumbled.

'I know, I'm sorry. I don't even remember doing it. Michael, after punching me for hurting Lily and Ella, checked out my brain and said it was someone else in my brain doing that, and it kind of tallied up with whatever happened to you and Ella,' He explained. 'I understand if you hate me,'

'It wasn't you?'

'No,' Joe said.

'Wait –how's Ella?' I asked, sitting up in my bed looking down at my hospital gown. 'Why am I in a dress?'

Joe grinned at me.

'Lily was very uneasy with me, which just killed me off. She didn't come to me, stayed with Jake, and when she did it seemed like she didn't want to be there. Lily was heartbroken to see you and Ella just lying on the floor both of you barely breathing. I had to explain to her in kid terms what was happening and she's okay now. Ella woke up, confused but I explained it. There were tears and hugs. They're alright, though,' Joe said, looking over his shoulder through the window. I got up and stood beside him. From where we stood I could see Ella in the opposite room, asleep with an oxygen mask on. She was lying on her side, a sleeping Lily beside her. Ella's arm, which had a drip in, was over Lily's tummy. 'Also, no idea what's going on with that gown, any shorter and it would be indecent.'

'You nearly cocked it up big time with Ella,' I said and he nodded.

'She said the same – what did I say to her?' Joe said to me, raising his eyebrow.

'Well, she caught you yelling and swearing at me and then you told her to get out, and she refused and started saying how you wanted another kid but go and do something like this,' I explained and he clenched his jaw. He clearly regretted doing what he did even though he wasn't in control.

'Yeah, she said about that,' Joe said gently.

'You were going to have another baby?'

'Planning too, yeah.' Joe said, looking at Ella and Lily who remain asleep. 'Ella just had to finish this month's worth of contraceptive pills, she had already started to take these weird vitamins Leannah was on about to her and yeah, we wanted to have another kid. Now she seems hesitant. I think she's aware that this wouldn't just be a onetime thing and would be the start of something bigger so would want to hold back. Understandable, really.' Joe told me.

'Aww, you two,' I laughed, hitting him in the arm but wincing as my head started to sting. 'But what does she mean it won't be a onetime thing?'

'Do you remember the grey writing? It said final warning. We don't know why they're warning, or we even had any warnings but whoever was doing the warning but if we don't know we can't stop them striking again, can we? Not only that, they know whatever they used on you two in the Cube knocks people out and badly – Michael and I found you in our own vomit and Ella absolutely freezing and barely breathing. Maui developed something to use against people who refuse to cooperate and then suddenly it's on full volume used against my best friend and fiancée. So, she thinks something big is going to happen and it won't be pretty. She doesn't think it's against either one of you two. You were just in the wrong place at the wrong time,' Joe said.

'Right,' I said softly. I watched in silence as Lily woke up from her nap, look at Ella and the toddler kissed her on her cheek, before settling back down and falling asleep again. I never wanted children – they were always too loud and too much effort and commitment. That was until I saw Lily. I went into hospital when she was a few hours old and as I walked in, Joe was sitting on a chair beside the bed, Ella was laying down with Lily on her chest. Not asleep, but just laying there. Lily was a very, very quite child – she only ever cried to get someone's attention, and then just sat there until she fell asleep. She would cry her head off, however, if she was around someone who didn't care to the highest level about her. If some random guy from base offered to hold her, she would cry so muc until she was handed back. However, if I held her she was silent and when she was older a bit more gigglier.

'It solves one thing, though,' Joe said to me, smiling fondly as he wanted his daughter and future wife, his Soulfinder, his other half, and my heart faltered slightly. I wanted that level of love and dedication.

'Mmm?'

'You're a Savant,' Joe said but pulled a face. 'I was very wrong, but you're a Savant.'

'You seem like you don't like it.' I asked him.

'No, cause you actually do something that's awesome – I can only manipulate peoples thoughts,'

'Oh no, you can get anyone to do whatever you want, forget whatever they want to forget and manipulate emotions before they feel like it. I can heal a pinprick –'

'Ella told me you broke your leg and the next day it was healed.' Joe interrupted, glaring at me slightly.

'Yeah... I did that too...' I said, rubbing the window ledge of the hospital room I was in.

'Hardly a pin prick, though,'

'I guess,' I fessed up, shrugging. 'I thought you said you wanted to get married before another kid?' I asked, knowing that's why they put off having another child. They wanted to be married before their second child, and Ella didn't want to be pregnant at all during their marriage.

'We've... set a date. Well, we're waiting for the venue to get back to us as soon as they check they can hold all the guests. They were meant to call today and Ella's had a few miscalls but she's been unconscious until recently. They left a voicemail, but I don't want to get into her phone without her expressed permission even though it's our wedding.' Joe said and I grinned at him.

'You two,' I laughed, hitting him on my arm. 'I better be invited,'

'Maybe, depends how cocky you turned with your new healing ability.' Joe laughed. 'We'll see how you are tomorrow at that black tie event,'


	11. Chapter 10 - Lucy

**Chapter 10 – Lucy**

The next day

I sat in my lone hotel room, sixteen floors above the lobby opposite Kensington Garden's sticking a brush through my long, brown hair as I frowned at my reflection in the mirror. I became almost hypnotised with the brush pulling through my relatively dead ends. Each stroke, the way my hair flows in the small breeze created by the movement caught my eye's fine focus. Truth be told; I was scared for the award ceremony tonight. Social events were never my forte. I was too scared of being by myself, and I always found talking about myself tricky. I had gone to pubs, where guys tried to chat me up. They always go "tell me about yourself," but what could I say? I was beaten to a pulp for fifteen years? I'm a freak? I can go invisible? No – I'd live my life in orange overalls being sectioned to see how or why I could do the things I could do. Or, it could draw attention from Him, and He would want me back in Kingdom without hesitation. So I had to remain silent about my past. I couldn't try anyone with those kinds of secrets. But then, without them, what was I? I was nothing to start with. I had resulted to trailing around Dixon and Mara at these events, staying behind the at all times so when they engaged in conversations I could remain a silent spectator. That was my plans for the night; there was no way in Hell I would receive an award, so if I was silent it would be best.

Sighing, unwilling to go and socialise with the 52 people who worked at the Bournemouth unit, and the two hundred odd skilled Savant's who work in the Guildford base who could easily expose me to my Father and cause my departure back to abuse and back to Kingdom, I pulled the dress Matthew brought me from the bag. It was a beautiful thing; a white and black sweetheart dress, highlighting my breasts, crunching into a 3cm waistband at my ribcage and flowing to about five inches above my knee. The shoulders were covered with white lace, and had a low back done up with three buttons. Matthew had accessorised it for me as well, quickly changing the waistband to a metallic rose gold colour, which matched the three inch heels he brought and my clutch bag. I wish Matthew could be here with me, but he wanted nothing more to do with Maui. No personal reasons, but it just brought back bad memories for him. He was against the Net, and would bring it up for an argument with anyone involved. For me, it was the only way I could help people like me.

Rubbing body butter into my pale legs, the lack of tan from where I wear jeans whenever I go outside, I slipped my shoes on. From here, my vantage point of my wide open window showed me the large lights outside the building, Savants in their black tie event clothes walking up the stairs – they were fashionably late. I was just procrastinating going. The event had already started two hours ago. Dixon and Mara was there for the opening, I was in my pyjamas watching from the ledge of my window seal.

I pulled the dress over, loving the way it sat on me perfectly. Matthew had always been brilliant with fashion fulfilling the gay stereotypes. I had issues with how dresses sat on me, with having no figure and being incredibly underweight but this dress was altered by Matthew perfectly, without me even trying it on. I grabbed my bag and my phone and saw a message from him.

 _ **Have a wonderful night, beautiful x**_

With a spurt of confidence from the message, I put my phone and bank card in my bag, slotting my room card in as well before heading out for the night.

The room I entered was heaving, but spectacular. The ceiling had been painted with fat cherubs, looking down on everyone talking and dancing, helping themselves to a large finger buffet which had chefs cooking up more food as the night continued. The main colour of the room was black, with aspects of different colours which poked out from the crowed which continued to shift constantly. Over two hundred people milled around the room, highlighted and framed by the large spotlights that drifted around the floor. Straight in front of the two sets of double doors where I entered, a large staircase sat centre stage. The stairwell met a flat platform, and split off into two more staircases, one stretched out to the right, one to the left. There was a live DJ on the platform, which had a small black stage for the musical set to perform on at any given stage, and a microphone turned off for when awards were being handed out. The buffet sat under the right staircase, with popcorn machines, to candy floss machines to crepe markers and a hog roast, all food tastes had been accounted for. Immediately, my eyes fell on a large pick and mix stand, with bags available and I wondered if I hid my phone and cards in my bra how much of the sweets could fit in my large clutch bag. On the left side was an open bar. To the left and through another marvellous arch I could see a bouncy castle with about three or four kids happily playing in there. There was no need for them to be attended; the security at this place was tight. Two security bounced triple checked my invite and even held it up to check the watermark they had placed on the bottom left corner with a seven digit code which had to line up to my name and ID. Children within Maui were rare; normally you would be advised to leave or stay on permanent maternity leave for the protection of your child. Only if the main busy, Susan McGrant deems you sturdy enough to have a child and continue work you can. I was surprised to even see four kids at this event. I stepped forward into the room a bit further as songs from the mid 2000's started playing, and I recognised the current song as Busted's Year 3000. I scanned the room trying to find Dixon peering from above the crowd but instead felt a tug on my dress.

I looked down and a adorable kid, who must have been about three or so, looked up at me. The girl had the brightest green-blue eyes, blonde hair plaited back and a sprinkling of freckles. The toddler who appeared out of nowhere was wearing a knee length white dress and matching pumps but was constantly swaying as she waited for me.

'You okay?' I asked her softly, looking around for her parents.

'Are you a princess?' The little girl asked up at me.

'Er, no. I'm not. Why, are you?' I asked back, crouching down to speak to her as she shook her head dramatically. Where were her parents?

'No, I'm not a princess. You must be, though, you look like a princess,' The girl said to me, poking my nose as I grinned at her and blushed. This girl, whoever she was, was completely adorable. I knew three year olds words can be very harsh at times as they can't filter what is rude and what it not, so will be brutally honest to you but the little girl made my heart falter. 'Do you have a name?' She asked me, swaying again.

'I do; my names Lucy. Do you have a name?' I asked back to her.

'That sounds like... my name!' The girl exclaimed, hugging me. I hesitated slightly, before hugging the girl gently. I didn't know who she was, or where her parents were but the girl was melting my heart and I knew, whoever her parents actually were, they had raised her in the best manner possible. She was adorable and ever so polite.

'My names Lily.' She told me, offering her hand to shake. I laughed slightly, shaking her hand. I guess our names did sound alike; both starting and ending with the same letter. Half of the letters were correct, so the girl wasn't wrong. 'Have you... have you tried the sweeties?' She said, giggling.

'Er, no,'

'Mummy said I shouldn't have too many, Daddy said the same but Uncle Jason is looking after me and I keep losing him, so I can have all the sweeties I want!'

'Oh, are you lost?' I asked, realising that should have been the first question I asked when a three year old randomly appeared next to me.

'No. Uncle Jason is lost – not me.' She said and I frowned.

'Lily, what are you doing running off like that? You know your Mum would kill me,' A man in a suit ran over, scooping her up to sit on his hip. I took a step back, frowning at the man who had appeared before me. He was good looking... very good looking. His brown hair flopped in every direction but he pulled it off, and his blue eyes shone brightly and could have taken the focus away from the amazing room and onto him. There was a slight cut on his cheekbones which looked fresh, and was surrounded in a bruise too, but it didn't subtract from his model like looks. If he didn't win the award for best looking guy I would be entirely confused and will say the awards are rigged. Not only that; we was in a tight fitting suit, his blazer unbuttoned but with grey waistcoat showing, giving him a slight model-like feel.

'Uncle Jason isn't lost now,' The little girl told me, and the man – Jason, his name must have been looked up, noticing me. I noticed the double take he did as I backed away from him slightly, scared he would dob me in to everyone but I felt safe in his presence. That was weird – I still was hesitant around Mara and Dixon, Matthew too, because my body never felt safe. But with this stranger, I felt... safe?

'Hey, sorry about my Godchild, she gets a bit overwhelming after she's had sweets.' He said to me, 'I'm Jason,' He said, offering me his hand. I shook it nervously.

'Lucy,' I whispered, my voice seizing up but the beautiful Greek God of a man heard me, and smiled and my soul melted. Soul, and I think my ovaries did as well.

'Lovely name,' He said softly, not once breaking eye contact even though Lily was looking everywhere apart from me, her eyes focusing on the pick and mix stand.

'Lily, you are not having any more sweets, love, I don't want your parents to disown me like they've threatened to do before.' Jason added, touching the toddlers arm and Lily visibly started to sulk.

'You're not her Dad?' I asked Jason, wondering what resemblance Jason had to the toddler. Lily called him Uncle.

'No, she's my best friend's kid. I agreed to babysit her, telling me to wear her out. However, I think at this rate it'll be me who's worn out way before her.' The guy said, adjusting the toddler on his hip and the little girl started staring longingly at the pick and mix stand. I continued to look at him for a second, and his bright eyes looked back. After a second or two, I looked down at the floor awkwardly shifting my feet. I watched out the top of my eyes, through my eyelashes as Jason knelt down.

'Lily, do you want to go find Mummy or Daddy? I won't tell them if you take a brief detour to the pick and mix stand,' Jason said sweetly to her, and she nodded before wrapping her arms around his neck, hugging her tiny frame. Any more cute ass moves from the Greek God man, and my ovaries would exploded and I would have to excuse myself to the bathroom to clean up the mess. I watched shyly as the toddler whispered something to him and he nodded.

'Yeah,' He said back and the kid nodded at him, before running into the throng of people and heading towards the pick and mix stand. Jason stood back up again and I was just aware how tall he was.

'Is she going to be okay? Is she safe?' I asked immediately losing her in the crowd. I looked back up at Jason – was that his name? Johnson maybe? – and he looked down at me with a slightly weird look on his face.

'She'll be fine – are you okay, though? You've gone really pale,' Jason said and came a tiny bit closer to me.

However, in that moment everything went slow. Jason raised his arm – to do what I have no idea – and I was forced back into the memories of Kingdom. My Father's angry face as he raised his hand, slapping it across my face. The pain was incredible whenever he done that and not in a good way at all; my face was red raw from all the other slaps and beatings but I had to stand and deal with it. Flinching, hiding or covering my face only led to more beatings. So did arguing back. So I just had to stand there and take every hit, punch and kick that he could muster. But it wasn't Father in front of me, it was an incredible gentle and beautiful man but my body couldn't help the reaction.

I flinched away, dancing a few steps back to avoid him, and immediately covered my face. The room fell silence – or at least I blocked everything out as I embraced for the hit. But it never came. Three long seconds later, I cracked opened my eyes to see Jason standing in front of me, hands now down by his side looking baffled.

'Lucy?' He asked gently as I started to freak out.

I was so, so stupid for thinking I could do this, wasn't I? The first social even I had been too since I was rescued from Kingdom. I thought, I honestly thought, I would be fine going out and talking to people. I thought I had got over my immediate reaction to any sign of potential human interactions but that had been a lie to myself. Why would I assume that I would be alright? I had remained in a glass bubble, a bauble in a way, of my own three friends and that is it. Every day, I'd head to work, sit in my own little room of the third floor overlooking Bournemouth beach where no one would interrupt me, eat my own home made lunch which consisted of a meal deal that I had bulk-brought online once a week and maybe a chocolate bar, and head home. The only people I ever spoke too was Mara, Dixon and Matthew. And I thought I could do this? Go out and socialise with people?

'I'm... I'm sorry.' I whispered, turning and heading to the door, already snivelling as I realised how much of a failure I was.


	12. Chapter 11 - Jason

**Chapter 10 – Jason**

The absolute beauty of a woman suddenly looked horrified at me before turning around on the balls of her heels and heading out towards the door. I watched her in absolute shock, momentarily dropping my gaze to the wonderful rear end the girl had on her, but looked back up when I realised how disrespectful I was, but also the cold reception that she had given me. Side note; the girl seemed very weird but I could tell it wasn't on purpose. She was hiding something and it was something to do with her medical history. I had no idea where I stood with my gift when it came to the inclusive use on others. I got it, I could heal myself. The killer headache and bruises I got from the mind-blowing noise that Maui had made and was demonstrated on both Ella and I in the Cube but a poltergeist like figure had disappeared when I focused on it. I had tried helping Ella, too, when Joe took Lily out to the park to play. She had talked me through how her brother Xavier does the same thing as she thinks I can do, and it worked. I got the bruises reduced to a green-yellow colour and her headache treatable with a few painkillers, but she pointed out it was the first time I tried to do anything like that and the fact I did it was absolutely brilliant. Joe came back and saw what I had and apologised because he never realised I was a Savant. For years, I longed to be a Savant and now I had only felt slightly let down as I looked around the hall of Savant's, and there was only two Soulfinder pairs here; Jake, with Leannah and their three children; four year old twins Amelia and Isla, and their seven month old son Jacob, and the second pairing was of course Ella and Joe with Lily. I knew that I would forever be lacking a partner that would spark such love like Ella and Joe, or Jake and Leannah.

But damn, the girl I had just met would come close. She was absolutely stunning. About five foot eight, with auburn hair flowing in delicate curls down to her lower back, the front few locks had been pinned back with some hair grips, exposing her high cheek bones and bright blue eyes which looked absolutely beautiful in the bright lighting of the Kensington Garden's hall.

'Er, Jason, why did you tell Lily she could have more sweets – she's hyper enough as it is.' Ella came up behind me, Joe holding her hand and Lily lying over Joe's shoulder, laughing to herself.

'Dunno,' I whispered, looking out the door.

'You alright, mate?' Joe asked me, following my gaze where Lucy had just reached the door, making her way awkwardly through the throng of incomers to the party. Despite the do actually starting two and a bit hours ago, many people had gone out for fresh air or a night walk around Kensington Garden's and had started to return once the temperature was dropping.

'She's cute,' Ella said, following my gaze. I quickly turned to look at her, and she was tilting her head but nodding in appreciation. Joe looked her.

'Alright love, let's calm down shall we?' He joked with her, hugging her to his side. Their relationship was my absolute goals; neither one of them had to hide the fact they were technically bisexuals or pansexuals, as you never knew with your Soulfinder if they would be male or female and both of them fell in love with the idea of Soulfinder's personality, rather than if their privates dangles or not. Ella had told me she quite often called herself bisexual and didn't give a shit. She had often got called out on it as well, and would defend herself to high Hell. She quite often checked out guys and girls on the street but it never bothered Joe too much as he knew how devoted they were too each other.

'Why is she walking out like you broke the news her hamsters died?' Ella asked, keeping an eye on her but more out of concern rather than anything else.

'I have no idea, I just raised my arm slightly as she freaked the shit out – ran back and flinched and covered herself up,' I explained and Ella's face dropped.

'That's common with someone who's suffered abuse,' She muttered and Joe nodded.

'What do you mean?' I asked her. She was prim and proper, and there wasn't a bruise on her body.

'The way she reacted, Jason, the second you raised you hand she thought you were going to hit her. So she panicked, her brain sent her into flight or fight and she chose to try and hide herself but braced to be hit anyway. She's probably, at some stage, been abused in order to react like that. You might want to go check up on her and explain you weren't going to hurt her.' Ella explained, and I nodded. I'm so glad I had a friend who had already finished her fast track degree in psychology whilst on maternity leave and wrote her dissertation of miniscule emotional psychology and how the smallest movements and body language reflects the bigger picture. If you've ever watched the TV show "Lie to me", Ella was the female version (and real version) of Cal, able to tell what someone is thinking or when they are lying based on how the answer and the involuntary movements.

'You sure she'll want to see me?' I asked back as Michael came up behind Ella and Joe, turning his head in a weird angle to talk to Lily who was still hanging over Joe's shoulder as he engaged in the conversation.

'If she doesn't, she might make a permanent link between seeing you and violence, which won't be good if she's trying to get over it, or if she moves up to Guildford one day, every time she see's you she'll think about the abuse she went through,'

'Get the message, you okay to look after Lily for a moment?' I asked, already edging out of the conversation and towards the door.

'Look after our own daughter? Scandalous,' Joe said to me, lifting Lily back up as she laughed, eating sweets from a pick and mix bag. Michael frowned at her as Ella took the bag from her, hiding it in her own clutch bag and Lily laughed into Joe's shoulder.

I quickly pivoted in my brand new formal shoes, making a squeak against the freshly polished floor as I made a bee line to the door. Lucy had managed to make a Hell of a distance between us and I could just see her about half a kilometre from the front door, where I guess she must have run a bit of it. I thanked my lucky stars I listened to the man who served me these shoes and brought some athletic insoles as I had to sprint to keep her in eyesight so she wouldn't just disappear from the face of the Earth. In the middle of May, the temperature after sun set was bitingly cold, and I could feel a draft on my legs as I ran through the lightly gravelled paths. Lampposts placed strategically down each path lit them up like a runway, homing me in to my target; the beautiful auburn model.

'Lucy!' I called as she stopped in her steps, turning around. I had to skid on the gravel to stop so I didn't run straight into her. 'You alright?' I asked her, finally meeting her eyes where tears were building but just catching her gaze took my breath away. Suddenly, the girl who flinched and tried to escape the second I lifted my hand to slide back in her hair grip that was falling out – and had now completely fallen out somewhere along the gravel path – the girl who was scared of touch after abuse left a mark like Ella suggest, fell straight into my chest crying.

'Luce,' I said softly, putting my arm around her shoulder, my other one around her waist as I held her close to me. Lucy immediately tensed up as she leaned against my chest, but continued crying and eventually her body gave way as she relaxed. Her hands covered her eyes, her face hidden from view by the folds of my blazer jacket. 'Lucy, hun, I won't hurt you alright?' I whispered to her and she tried to say something but struggled through her raked breath and tears. 'I swear I will never hurt you.' I told her, wondering why my brain was suddenly jumping into future; I had only met this girl once and spoke to her for about four minutes in the hall mainly about Lily and now I was promising that I'd never hurt her. I was almost unconsciously including myself in her future life.

'You can't,' Lucy said during racked breaths.

'I can't what?' I asked gently back.

'You can't just promise that, you don't know you won't,' She protested weakly.

'I know full well I would never hurt anyone, and I would never hurt you either. Why would I?' I asked her gently, running my hands up and down her spine trying to kneed out the knots from the stress and the upset.

'Johnson, you seem lovely but you don't understand,' Lucy said.

'Er... it's Jason but we'll take Johnson if you're upset. But of course I don't understand, love, I met you about six minutes ago when my hyper Godchild was running around high on sugar asking if people were princesses. If I understood from that, I wouldn't be here right now would I?'

'I... I dunno,' She whispered ever so gently, and the steel returned to her spine. 'Come on, let's go somewhere quiet, okay hun?' I asked ever so gently, and Lucy nodded,


	13. Chapter 12 - Lucy

**Chapter 12 – Lucy**

I hesitated in the middle of the pathway, gravel already in my heels confused as to what my body and brain wanted. I had run the second I cleared the stairs, sprinted as far as I could in these rose gold heels until I was sizable distance away from the gallery. Johnson, or whatever his name was, looked like he was going to hit me. Out of nowhere, he just raised his hand and the flashbacks were so intense I just had to escape. But sure enough, he came after me. I wasn't used to that, people coming to apologise even though they didn't do anything wrong to start with. Johnson had no idea what he had done, but he still ran to find me and apologise and when I broke he held me. I didn't like the closeness, feeling claustrophobic and almost like now I owed him something – that was how Kingdom worked – but it helped. Johnson walked off and I trailed him wanting to ask him so much but my brain was overflowing and numb at the same time. Why did he bother coming to apologise? I wasn't worth that. I followed that down some more gravel paths, limping as a small stone dug into my arches as Johnson led our way through. Suddenly, the trees broke and a massive river filled my views; the moonlight was scattered across the gentle ripples of the river, and a duck swam across the surface. Benches surrounded the pond but all empty at this time in the evening, and it was silent. I breathed shakily as Johnson sat down on one edge of the bench, looking over at me. I edged my way over, sitting on the very edge and on the corner of the bench too scared to relax.

'Johnson,' I said softly, my eyes trained on the duck.

'Seriously, my names Jason – not lying about that one,' He said to me and I felt bad. Oh.

'Sorry, I didn't mean anything, sorry.' I whispered, feeling immediately bad.

'It's alright, you didn't know,' He said, sitting on edge like I did as I flinched slightly. Was he mocking me?

'I'm guessing you've had a tricky past, yeah?' He said softly and I seized up. How did he know? I tensed my muscles preparing to run but without moving. Jason gently put his hand on my knee to stop me, but I just frowned at the touch like Satan had got his grimy hands out of Hell to caress my kneecap. 'Sorry,' He said softly.

I looked over at Jason, and he met my eye. His soulful brown eyes were brimming with concern as he ran a hand through his loose brown hair. Jason was – there was no two ways about it – incredibly good looking. He had the surfer feel about him, no matter how much effort he put into his looks each morning he was absolutely gorgeous. I would not be surprised if he worked part time in Hollister as one of those models who stands near the doors posing with Korean tourists.

'When I was born, I had an older brother and kind of a perfect family. Soon, my Dad turned abusive and started beating my Mum. He took it too far and killed her in front of me. He panicked and made me and my brother pack up all of our stuff and he took us to this place. He called it Kingdom,' I explained at a fast pace. Jason looked at me intently as I felt a pain behind my eyes. It was common; whenever I mentioned "Kingdom", the pain returned. 'I was turned into a maid there for the other entire Savant's. My Dad used to beat me if I didn't do good, and when I was older-' I continued at a quick pace.

'Lucy, hang on,' Jason said quickly, pulling something out of his pocket and putting it under my nose. 'You're bleeding,' He said softly and I nodded.

'Yeah, that happens.' I said.

'It's not normal, so shut up for a second.' He said, and I flinched at the slightly aggressive tone he used, scared he would hit me especially as he was in so close proximity and I knew from memory the closer someone is the more it hurt but Jason frowned at me as he held the tissue under my nose. 'Lean forward slightly,' He said softly, getting down on the floor so he could hold the white thin tissue under my nose comfortably. I didn't notice the way his fingers lingered on my kneecap, but I didn't flinch. It appeared to be quite a bad nosebleed but Jason didn't suddenly leave me.

He sat in front of me, holding the tissue to my nose gently as it continued to bleed or another ten or so minutes until finally it stopped bleeding. I looked into Jason's soft chocolate-coloured eyes, focused on the job at hand as he had one hand on my knee and I knew he was concerned – even I could tell that. But the nosebleed stopped a lot quicker than it did when I was at home with Matthew, Mara or Dixon.

'I think you're good now, just don't move too much for a while,' Jason said, rubbing my knee as he got up and dumped my bloody tissues in the bin. I honestly felt like such a twat; this wonderful delicious guy randomly came into my life, then he did everything he could to try and calm me done and all I did was bleed on him. 'Does talking about your past normally make you bleed everywhere?' He asked me softly, sitting down beside me.

'Yeah,' I said gently.

'Then why did you talk about it – don't hurt yourself again.' He said to me.

'Talk about yourself, then.' I argued back and he immediately paused.

'Er, what did you want to know?' Jason asked, rubbing his hand on his trouser leg as he looked out across the pond.

'Everything,' I said softly, desperate to get my mind off the abuse I went through. Anything to prove to me people don't have to live through abuse. To prove that anyone can be normal.

'Er, okay. I was born this one time,' He said and I laughed softly. 'My Dad walked out when I was three, so I grew up with my Mum and my older sister Dooley,'

'Dooley? What kind of name is that?' I laughed, and he smiled as well, rubbing his hands. Now the sun had gone, the temperature was dropping quiet quickly and even I had Goosebumps appearing but found it a lot more refreshing than the cramped Kensington Hall.

'It's her nickname; she's had it since I started speaking. Her names actually Delilah, but that's tricky to say when you're eighteen months old. So I called her Dooley, and it stuck,' Jason explained and I laughed softly. 'Dooley is quite a bit older than me – about thirteen years or something stupid, so I didn't grow up with her. We're... okay. We call each other twice a week for about an hour or so. I grew up with just my Mum, but she was working like 55 hours a week so I didn't see much of her. Most weekends my bestie – Joe's – parents babysat me. I finished my GCCE's, A-levels, went to university and got a 2:1 degree in forensic psychology and criminal psychology and started working with Maui, that's it really,' Jason explained.

'What do you do at Maui? You in Guildford,' I asked him, turning towards him.

'Yeah, I was one of the three there that weren't Savants. I study dead people.' Jason said and I did a triple take. He wasn't a Savant? He studied _dead people_?

'You're not a Savant?' I asked him and I realised how disappointed I sounded. Jason smiled softly at me.

'I didn't think I was. No one in my family was, Joe had been scouting my brain for years and didn't pick it up. I think the first time I suspected anything was about few years ago. Ella told me she suspected something was up but we couldn't prove it. Until Joe was putting Lily, the kid you just met, to bed when she was a few months old and I held a knife and managed to heal myself. From there it kind of just increased itself to me being able to heal my broken leg a few days ago. Ella spoke to me telepathically yesterday so it kind of confirmed I was, I just thought I wasn't for two decades.' He explained.

'So you can heal yourself?' I asked in shocked. That was bloody brilliant. I would do anything for that gift.

'And other's, yeah. I'm still working on it. I'll work it out in time.' Jason said, blowing into his hands as he rubbed them together. He frowned at my exposed arms, noticing the small raised bumps on my arm, and immediately took off his blazer jumper at put it around my shoulders. 'You a Savant?' He asked as I nodded slowly. I knew that I wanted to tell him what I could do, but it became a hidden secret since I was removed from Kingdom. I'm not even too sure if the words would roll off my tongue. I just nodded at him.

'What can you do, if you don't mind me asking?' He asked gently and I looked at him shocked for a second but I realised something; I was okay talking to him. It had been so long since I actually trusted someone enough to want to tell them all of this that I forgot I could. My life wasn't a secret, a diary that had to be unlocked from a higher authority. I was free to tell who I want – and for some reason I trusted Jason a guy I met what, fifteen minutes ago because his hyperactive Godchild called me a princess? Unlike others, I wasn't concerned who my brain trusted, but who my body did. They acted like two separate forces, my brain wanted to tell everyone and plea or help to solve, but it was my body that stopped it and froze up and made me run away from all situations that evolved around me. But with Jason – nothing. I don't see us having a relationship or whatever, but I could see him being a friend. I haven't had a new friend in ages.

'I... er...' I said. How do I phrase it? Instead, I just closed my eyes for a second, pretending I was putting on a invisibility cloak like Potter, and I heard Jason gasp slightly.

'Where did you go?' He asked gently, laughing under his breath as I broke my focus and lost the perspective field that makes me "invisible". 'That was incredible – you go invisible?' He asked, staring at me like he was four on Christmas day.

'It's more of a perspective trick. I kind of make a barrier –' I said and he nodded, but I felt so stupid. I needed to stop making myself seem smart when I only have three A-levels and when I'm a drop out of English. 'Sorry,' I whispered, looking away.

'No, carry on.' Jason egged, touching my knee. I looked down at his hand, freezing up slightly but not like I normally do. I froze up because I wasn't expecting it, not because my body was expecting abuse and for him to hit me.

'It's more of a barrier that makes you look away so it's like I'm not there. I don't just disappear,' I mumbled.

'That's fascinating.' Jason said, smiling at me and my heart faltered. I continued to look into his eyes, losing myself in the chocolate brown. It calmed me, made me feel whole after years of feeling broken and fragmented. Why was I reacting like this?

'Can we go back inside?' I asked him softly, trying to find my voice again.

'Yeah, do you drink?' He asked, standing up and offering me his hand. Slowly, I put my hand in his palm and got up, even though the hand up wasn't needed.

'I guess,'

'Then I'll get you a drink, and hopefully Lils would have calmed down by now,' He joked, guiding me with a gentle hand to my back to the path which lead back up into Kensington Gardens where the award ceremony was in full swing.


	14. Chapter 13 - Lucy

**Chapter 12 – Lucy**

 _Listen here, you little shit._

He told me, grabbing hold of my face and pushing it in so it was uncomfortable to even move in the slightest. His other hand was squeezing onto my arm acting like a tourniquet to keep me from moving. I wasn't stupid; I wasn't going to fight against him. That would lead to more pain. I'd rather go for the quick and moderately painful, than a longer pain of a larger magnitude. I struggled to meet Him in the eye, though.

 _You are nothing outside Kingdom, you get that you bitch?_

I nodded as I squirmed against his tightening grip. Kingdom was everything out there for Savant's. People flee their homes to come to Kingdom for its famous safety. Everyone has guaranteed safety, food, safety training if they ever found themselves fighting against them. "Them" was how they referred to normal humans, the untalented ones, and He made us think there was a war between us.

 _I have given you everything you needed, and you give me that pathetic attempt at your gift? You're fucking weak, you stupid girl._

He threw me against the floor, kicking me. I tried to fight back in my mind, but I laid on the floor as he pulled out a knife from his waistband, one he always carried as he lifted up my maid's dress, and holding the cold blade against my hip.

 _You've been stupid, haven't you, Lucy? You deserve this – don't you?_

He asked, me, pushing the blade into my hip and into a previous scar mark. He gently pulled back against the blade, the serrated edge slowly cutting my skin as blood started to drip from my skin.

I woke up in a cold sweat, kicking out against whatever was restraining my arms. My eyes tried to adjust against the darkness that the early morning hadn't lifted, but I saw a dark figure sitting beside me, holding me down.

'Lucy, calm down.' The mysterious figure said and I couldn't work out who said it. But His voice was still lingering in my brain. Not even thinking about it, I raised my right arm and punched the figure, immediately fleeing out of bed. I paused to turn the light on, expecting to see Him on the bed in my hotel room but was shocked.

'Oh my God, Jason!' I gasped running back onto the bed and kneeling before him. Jason was kneeling on my bed, clutching his nose but was looking at me with shock in his eyes. He was in a pair of grey joggers and that was it and my eyes lingered at his chest – Matthew had a good body but he was not in my league and wasn't built like Jason. Jason was one of those people who had probably been going to the gym since he was able to get membership.

'Good hit,' Jason laughed at me, sitting in bed. He pulled his hand away from his nose, before placing it back there again and grabbing a few tissues from the box next to the bedside cabinet. He held it under his nose, wiping the blood from the nosebleed I had given him.

'Jason, I am so sorry, I am so –' I whispered, holding his arm. 'Oh my God,'

'Lucy, love, it's alright. I'm impressed that was such a good hook – you should seriously debate about joining a boxing club,' He joked, touching my knee like he did at the park, and again when we sat at the bar in Kensington. We left the party at three, both of us slightly tipsy but nothing more. Not wanting to be alone and welcome the vivid memories of Kingdom back again, especially after a night of feeling almost normal, and not wanting to be alone with alcohol in my system, I asked Jason to sleep in my room. Even though it sounded like an invitation, we both got changed in separate rooms, and slept on different sides of the bed facing different ways. We weren't moulded together like lovers, but I felt a lot calmer than I normally do before bedtime. However, the dream still kept its greasy fingers firmly on my brain, and it was vivid as ever. Not in as much detail, I noticed, but still there none the less. Jason must have woke up from me trashing around and yelling and tried to calm me down, restraining me so I didn't kick out but I woke up and punched him, probably breaking his nose.

'Jason, I'm –' I went to apologise again, shaking now I was in shock as I realised what I had done. I had resorted to violence as my first response. I punched Jason, a guy I had just met without even checking to see if it was him. If this wasn't a clear indication that I was related to Him, what is? What if I had picked up the abusive gene and me punching my friend was the first indication. I couldn't do that. That wasn't like me. What if the gene had already got its grip around me and I turned violent from here on in. What if I was abusive to everyone? I was like Him.

'Lucy, honestly, it's fine.' Jason reassured me, rubbing my shoulder as the tissue slowly got covered in his blood. I collapsed back in the bed, head in my hands and shaking as I started to think even further. Violence wasn't like me, but it wasn't like Papa when I was born either. He used to take me to the park when I was a few months old to feed the ducks – I saw the pictures when I was older around the house and in his office in Kingdom. What if something had switched and I would beat up all my friends now. No. I couldn't. I'd have to leave, to run away. Find somewhere new. But how?

'Luce?' Jason asked softly, crawling a bit closer and putting his hand on my shoulder lightly as I started to cry. 'No, don't cry – come here.' He pulled me up and into his arms. I pushed him away.

'No, Jason, I'd only hurt you! Don't you get it?'

'Nope, I don't. But you won't hurt me, this was just a mistake.' He moved the tissue away, revealing dried blood but his nose had stopped bleeding. He could heal himself; of course.

'You don't get it! I'm becoming like my Dad. Like Him,' I whispered in shock.

'What do you mean?'

'He used to abuse me, hit me and cut me when I wasn't listening to him of performing well enough. Brother did the same thing to me. I thought I was different, I was good but I wasn't. Oh my God,' I shuddered, thinking of what to do now? I had savings, but it wouldn't be much. It might just hold over a few months rent in wherever I wanted to stay and a new rail card. I don't have a driving license, so I had to rely on trains to get me places.

'You didn't tell me that earlier,' Jason said incredibly tenderly, coming to sit next to me, getting a bottle of water on the floor to spill onto a tissue to wipe the dried blood from his nose.

'How could I?' I mumbled, touching my nose but there was no blood. Whenever I said that normally I started to have a nosebleed like I did earlier but not this time. Odd.

'Is he in prison?' Jason asked.

'I wish.' I snorted slightly, nervously hoping that would satisfy him.

'Luce...'

'Okay, no. I told you about the place he owned earlier when I started having a nosebleed. He, er, he's in charge there. I think it's relatively well known, I found the paperwork at Maui one time. I escaped, somehow. Two young workers from Maui found me and got me away from there. I was in the hospital at Guildford for months after trying to recover. They can heal bones, stop cuts bleeding and weeping, get rid of infections but they can't get rid of those memories that linger,' I shuddered.

'I know someone who can help,' Jason said softly.

'No one can help me,' I muttered, knowing it was true. If I was violent, that would be the end of it for me. I swore to myself I couldn't live with myself if I was violent like Papa and Brother. Like Him, and his slimy assistant. What I would do next was a massive question.

'They can, you sound like you've given up hope.' Jason tutted, putting his arm around me. 'You want to get rid of the memories of your abuse, yes?'

'Of course,'

'Give me a second,' He said, rolling off his temporary side of the bed and picking up his smart phone. He came to sit next to me, holding his phone low down so I can see what he was doing, and sure enough I watched intently.

'You remember Lily, yeah?' Jason asked me, and I nodded. It wasn't hard to remember the adorable three year old who asked me if I was princess, and when we went back in she started playing with my hair, before inviting me onto the bouncy castle with her. Jason was talking to her parents I guess, and I heard who I could only assume was her Mum say it was completely bizarre how Lily was acting. I guess Lily was quite a shy child, then.

'A three year old can't help me, Jason,'

'No, probably not, unless you want sweets. Her parents can though, I'll see if they're up,' He said, dialling one of them who were on the top of his contacts. I looked at the time; ten minutes past four. I shook my head at him urgently. He can't go waking up his friends because of me – I wasn't worth it.

'Ella, you up?' Jason asked as someone picked up the other side of the phone. He put it on his lap, turning on speaking phone.

'Well, I am now.' The girl on the other side of the phone answered, sounding like she just woke up.

'Is... Joe up too?'

'Slightly,' the girl said, and I heard some illiterate mumbling on her side of the phone. 'He's asking what's wrong and if it's not urgent he will kill you. You know, if you wanted Joe you could have just called his phone, not mine.' The girl said.

'You'll be relieved that it is urgent and I require just Joe and his gift. I only called you because E is easier to find than J, and also you pick up your phone.' Jason said and the girl sighed. I wondered how Jason had such good friends; if Mara or Dixon called me at half four in the morning to get the attention of someone else – that someone probably being Matthew – I would have had serious words with them and ignored them for months.

'Joe has perked up a bit, and he is currently signing something to me of which I have no idea,' The girl said. 'Joe, you know I know sign language but making random hand gestures doesn't count – don't call Jason a wanker,' She laughed slightly, but wasn't talking to us but this mysterious guy called Joe who can help me... apparently.

'Ella, ask Jason what he wants at this time in the morning,' The guy said on the other side of the phone – that would be Joe then. Who are these people again?

'Joe, just need your gift for a few minutes, could be longer. Can you come to room 149, it's on the third floor,' Jason asked him as I collapsed back down into bed, covering my face again, Jason looked down at me concerned.

'Is it a boxer job?' Ella asked and my heart dropped – How did she know I hit him boxer style?

'Tell Joe not to be a lazy idiot and put some jeans on, it's not hard,' Jason mumbled and the girl laughed softly. 'Thanks, Ella, you're a star. I didn't wake Lily up, did I?' Jason asked when we heard the door to their room close and click shut.

'No, she's sound asleep. She doesn't wake up for anything. Is everything alright, though?' Ella asked yawning.

'Yeah, it's all good. Joe will probably explain it when he comes back. Still up for breakfast at ten?' He asked as I curled up. The looming six foot man looked down at me confused as I covered my eyes yet again, and lay down next to me, playing with my hair.

'If I can stomach something that early, sure. See you then,' and with that, the girl hung up.

'Who did you call?'

'Lily's parents – well, I called Lily's Mum knowing that Lily's Dad is the one we want but he doesn't answer his bloody phone ever. He has a rather unique gift which involved the ability to remove people's memories. He has done it for me and him when we went to secondary school together. We were bullied, and he just removed any recollection of bullying from their brains and they left us alone.' Jason explained, and once again we were not moulded together but we were closer. A lot closer. His hand was running through my brown mousey hair, getting briefly caught in a knot that undid itself. 'He might have to go into your brain to find the memories, though, and you might have to revisit them before he removes them, though.'

I cringed, but I knew if I wanted to be relatively normal, I would have to do it. A sharp rap at the door made us both jump out of our skins. Jason got up, crawled off the end of the bed and walked quickly to the door, opening it.

'I'm going to kill you in the morning, alright sunshine.' The guy at the door said and I flinched away. I could only see a silhouette of the man, and I could tell he had a good four or five inches on Jason and a lot more muscle too.

'Nah you won't.'

'Want to bet?' The man said.

'Listen, I need you to use your gift. There's a girl in the room and she was abused for years as a kid by the sounds of it and it affects her badly. She woke up from a nightmare and decked me because she thought it was him. Let's just say, thank God I _can_ heal myself. But I need you to get rid of those memories for her. She can't continue living that way, haunted by them.' Jason explained quietly and quickly to the bloke at the door, before opening the door fully to invite him in.

The only question I had on my mind was how the Hell did this guy produce something as small and fragile as Lily?

The guy who Jason invited in was huge in height; a good six foot four and I thought Jason was tall at just six foot. The man, though, was built in muscles – a well built body, muscular arms. He was in just a pair of jeans with the waistband of his Calvin Klein's showing and his hair was going every which direction like Jason's was, but both of them pulled it off. Within school, they must have been the models of their year. How someone that muscular, big and intimidating produce a child who was tiny for her age but was adorable.

'Lucy, you still awake?' Jason asked again, coming back into the room as Joe trailed behind him. I sat up again slowly, anxiety taking hold of me. 'Er, Joe is going to take away your memories of abuse,' He said to me gently but I couldn't help but feel two conflicting emotion; hope and annoyance. I was hopeful that Joe could do it and I wouldn't feel so down and weighted by my past but I was annoyed too. How dare Jason just make up his mind on this and assume it'll all be okay like I was his property. Also, all but a few years of my life was abusive, if I removed those memories would I just be hollow.

'Er, hey,' the guy awkwardly said as he hovered behind Jason, rubbing his arm. Hench guy was as scared as I was, then.

'Why?' I asked him, frowning at him.

'Lucy, isn't this what you wanted?' Jason asked, sitting on the bed.

'Yes, well. No. I don't know. It would have been wonderful to be asked before you got him here,' I snapped at Jason and he looked at me shocked.

'You didn't ask her,' Joe asked Jason and he shrugged.

'I swear I did,'

'Nope, I said the memories remain and you said you know someone who can I help and I said no one can help and then you woke up him. You never asked me if I was okay with it. You never even considered me in this whole thing,' I told him matter of factly.

'Well, do you want to get rid of those memories?' Jason asked me softly.

'Of course I do, but I would just be left with nothing, wouldn't I? It would be fifteen years of my life gone. All the memories of my Mum, my brother when he was nice.' I explained.

'I can just remove the emotions attached to them,' Joe said gently and I frowned at him. 'You'd remember everything, but you won't feel anything towards them. It's like remembering you had a mediocre casserole a few months ago,' He explained.

'It won't hurt, will it?'

'You might end up with a slight headache but nothing he can't fix,' Joe said, sitting on the far edge of my bed and nodding to Jason. 'And you just have to see everything one more time as I remove the emotions, but you won't remember feeling anything after I'm done.'

'Can you do that – just remove emotions,' I asked him, slightly not trusting him. Who is he again? A toddler I met a few hours ago after she called me a princess' father? I was letting him do this?

'Er, yeah.' Joe said. 'Putting it simply, yeah.'

'Would you do that for me?'

'I'd be honoured,' Joe said to be honestly and I frowned at him but he wasn't lying. He was being deadly serious and he would do that for me.

'I'm just going to go see Ella,' Jason said softly, leaving the room and leaving me with this stranger who was okay to remove all my abusive memories. I sat hesitantly on my bed, frowning against the dark. I prayed this would work.

'I know this sounds really odd, and you can tell me to bugger off if you want too, but it normally works better if you're asleep.' Joe said to me, sitting down on the edge of the bed as I looked at him, shivering. 'If you trust me, I can send you back to sleep, remove the emotions and lock the doors on the way out – you'll wake up being able to remember everything but to feel no emotions over it and with no headache either. If you want,' Joe added.

'Can you do that?' I asked. When I wake up, the nightmare will be over.

'Yeah, of course,' Joe said. 'Just lie down and try and relax,'

Within a few seconds of my head hitting the pillow I felt floaty, smiling to myself as Sleep started to encase me. I wanted to feel normal – and this was the equivalent of cheating but I couldn't help the euphoric feeling that rushed through me as Joe persuaded my body to give into sleep.


	15. Chapter 14 - Lucy

**Chapter 13 – Lucy**

 _Some legends are told; some turn to dust or to gold,_

 _But you will remember me, remember me for centuries,_

 _And just one mistake is all it will take; we'll go down in history,_

 _Remember me for centuries..._

I frowned against my morning alarm the very same day, amazed I had actually slept peacefully. I set my alarm tone as Fall Out Boy's "Centuries" over a year ago but I was strangely disappointed my nightmares woke me up well before my alarm. This has been the first time I had managed to hear it. I looked at my vacant bed, and then the clock that said it was midday and recalled what had happened in the early hours this morning.

Joe had sat down with me, and asked me what I wanted him to do. I told him just remove the emotions attached to the memories, and he did exactly that. Whilst I had vivid memories of what my Papa did to me, and what Brother did too, I didn't feel any excess emotion. I think the only thing I felt was a small twinge of hatred but that was to be expected. I felt almost... content. I was okay. It had taken Joe over an hour to sieve through all my memories, picking out all the emotions that had been sown to them over the years; the guilt, the sadness, hurt, anger, weakness. I still felt like I deserved the abuse and it was my fault for not being good at anything, but I no longer felt weighed down by the experience. It was in the past. It was time to move on. The sleep that encased me, where I thought through the memories as Joe removed the emotions, made me a new person.

 _Come on, come on and let me in,_

 _The bruises on your thighs like my fingerprints,_

 _And this is suppose to match, the darkness that you felt,_

 _I never meant for you to fix yourself._

Rolling over I picked up my phone, I noticed a piece of paper fall onto my chest. Frowning, I grabbed it and opened it. A large square of light blue paper revealed neat handwriting in black, with a small message on it. 'Hey Luce, It's Jason. I think its best I just leave you alone now. If you need me at all, just text or call me.' And attached was his mobile number. I frowned, baffled. What did he mean it was better for him just to leave? Was he in and out of my life in the matter of twelve hours? I don't remember much of what happened last night. I remember us talking outside, and spending the night in the same bed although nothing happened, and I remember him calling his friend to remove the memories of abuse but after that it remained fuzzy. Quickly, and before I misplace the sheet of paper, I unlocked my phone not turning off my alarm and opened up my contacts, adding Jason's number in. I hesitated over the "surname" box, having no idea what his surname was, and added in his number. Could I text him now, asking what had happened? Would that seem a bit clingy and like I was desperate for attention? Should I text him when I get back to Bournemouth with the girls tonight, let him know I'm okay and home safely? I've never had someone like Jason in my life, which genuinely cared about me. He cared about me enough to wake his best friends up in the middle of the night to come and fix me.

 _And you're a cherry blossom,_

 _You're about to bloom._

 _You look so pretty, but you're gone so soon._

I turned off my alarm, swinging my legs off the bed, rubbing the goose pimples that had appeared on my bare skin, revealed from my shorts. Whilst I was entirely thankful for Joe removing all my emotions to do with the years of torturous abuse and excited to actually enjoy life the way others do and not worry about emotional flashbacks any more, I couldn't entirely face him. He had seen too much and whilst he tried to mask his shock he didn't do too well. I couldn't believe I had let him see so far inside me but I guess I did this all just to help myself. I was too greedy, wanting results that I didn't think about him. And what about Jason? He had given up a wonderful night out to dedicate to me and trying to sort me out, and he did a wonderful job but I was irritated with him for assuming I was his to fix. Does that even make sense? Like when the awards were handed out, he got an award for most eligible bachelor and despite the wolf whistles and people coming up to talk to him – not surprising considering how hot he actually was – he stayed with me the entire night, walking me home once the event was over and staying in the same room because I was scared. Was he doing that just to make sure I was okay and had took it upon himself to almost babysit me, or was he doing it because he cared or was there a third answer involved?

After about fifteen minutes of internal debate I decided I would text him when I got home, thanking him but ignore any messages he would reply with and I would start afresh; I would look into redoing my degree in something other than English Literature, something I would enjoy and have motivation to see through. I would start working normal times at Maui Bournemouth, and consider moving up to Guildford when my exclusion period had ended, which was in three months time. Of course, I had to choose from either degree or Maui, but both held good prospects. I knew filing paperwork on deaths and robberies from Savant's was interesting, don't get me wrong, but it wasn't what I wanted to do. I wanted to help people.

There was a sharp knock at my door and I ran to get it, hoping it was Jason but I was disappointed when, looking through the peep-hole, it was only Mara.

'Who was that cute boy you hooked up with last night,' Mara came in, still in her version of pyjamas. A fourth year medical student, she has been known to rock up for lectures in pyjamas as Mara was never out of bed before 8:45, and with a ten minute walk from our seaside flat to the lecture theatres in Bournemouth university, it didn't leave much time for changing. So she had adapted to wearing a baggy burgundy hoody with her school leavers on the back, and a pair of leggings. Her black hair was tied back in a slick ponytail, face clear of any make up and her light brown skin seemed a bit darker but it could just be due to lighting.

'I didn't hook up with anyone last night,' I said to her, walking back in. 'Where's your twin?'

'Dixon?' Mara asked and I nodded. 'Hung over – still. Guess I'm driving home,' she said, flopping on her double bed. 'You seem... cheerful.'

'I didn't hook up with Jason, but he sorted something out for me.'

'Did he hire a male stripper? Because I went to my friends hen party and they were absolutely fantastic – good quality, good looks, massive –'

'Moving swiftly on,' I said, as Mara cackled and lay back on my bed.

'No, he was there when I had my usual nightmare and I told him that I had been abused and whatever, and he called his best friend who then removed all the emotions attached to the abuse.' I explained, sitting on the edge on the bed running my hands over the sheet of paper.

'He did what?' Mara yelled.

'Quieten down, it's still morning,'

'Just. He removed all of your feelings?'

'No – just towards the abuse. I still remember everything that happened, but like he phrased it I remembered in like remembering a dull casserole we had a few months ago, rather than in vivid colour that I was used too.' I explained.

'That's amazing,' Mara said, shaking her head in idol shock. 'How do you feel?'

'Light, if you know what I mean. Like, I always felt weighed down with just remembering it and now I can't remember it properly and it's brilliant. It's like I'm free, finally. I'm annoyed Jason arranged it all without telling me,'

'Wait, let me get this right. It's confusing as fuck for me. You met Jason last night when you came into Kensington Garden's, correct, and we saw you talking to him, you freaked out for no reason and ran out. He then spoke to someone else and came running after you. Explain from there what had happened and how it's led to you losing all your emotions, being the happiest you've been forever, but hating him,' Mara explained, sitting up to look at me.

'I cried, he calmed me down and we found a bench. I tried to explain the whole abuse past thing and had one of my bleeds and he calmly sat there and mopped it up. Trying to change subjects, I asked him about his past and found out his back story and what he can do as a Savant and so on. After I calmed down, we went back in and just stuck around each other; Dixon was drunk by this point and you were nominated babysitter of the pissed and Jason's best friends were looking after their kid so we just kind of spoke all night. Once the event was over and we were asked to leave, he walked me back to my room. I didn't want to be alone, I know at home at least your and Dixon are close by but I've never been in a hotel room by myself before and I told him that and he stayed. But I had one of my dreams and he obviously woke up when he heard me yelling, he tried to calm me down but I took a swing at him and nearly broke his nose. Thankfully he can heal himself and was okay, but we spoke about why I had a nightmare. He called his friend without asking me, and his friend came down from his hotel room and removed all the emotion and his friend told me to sleep off the headache that would accompany his gift, and then I woke up happy listening to my Fall Out Boy alarm, and you came.' I explained quickly.

'I don't get why you hate him – he just seems like a Godsend and a wonderfully tasty guy,' Mara added.

'I don't hate him, I just don't like the way he acted like I was his mess to clean up,'

'I get where you're coming from, Lucy, but he was trying to help you. He didn't want to see you in that level of pain because of your past. It was a once in a lifetime opportunity for you, and he took it to make you better and I bet my ass you haven't even texted him.' Mara commented, looking at the way I was holding the piece of paper. 'Luce, I get it's hard for you. Really, really hard. Jason was just trying to help you out as much as he can and even though he seemed to have objectified you slightly and didn't get your permission before calling his friend, he has made your life a Hell of a lot easier. Be pissed off with him or not, I still think he deserves a thank you text,' and with that Mara jumped out of bed, and walked towards the door. 'We're leaving about half five when Dixon-Puke-A-Lot has sobered up a bit,'

And with that, the door slammed closed on the conversation and was left to mill over my words.

God, she was right. As always, she's right. She pissed me off, drives me insane but she's right.


	16. Chapter 15 - Lucy

**Chapter 14 – Lucy**

 **Nine weeks later**

God, office jobs were boring. I had already cleaned my office, reorganised the bookcase full of novels that had never been touched since I moved into this office once again (they were now in colour order as well as alphabetical order), cross referenced my set of drawers and even made a colourful flow chart to help me find the documents I was looking for quicker before the code red emergency paperwork had hit my office desk.

I was three hours into my shift, happily typing up the report of a theft into the correct documentation from the notes a guy name Pollar (like Polar bear but with two L's and no bear) had written up. I didn't mind it, having brought myself a new album off iTunes and ripped it to my phone before I left for work this morning. I was nearly finished on that report, ready to file it in draw four; minor crimes committed by a minor in section twenty three; court cases to appear late 2016 when we got the urgent call. An individual at Maui headquarters in Guildford was on an urgent case and we needed the paperwork filed as soon as we can to send to Downing Street in order for them to make their statement. A copy would go to David Cameron, the Prime Minister, himself and another to Scotland Yard for the official police statement. Not only that, the document would then be forward on to any interested party – and of course the only person who can type up reports to a high standard in a quick time and willing to do overtime was me. I didn't mind, though, as it set my mind off the choice I had to make. I had applied to five universities, all offering me unconditional offers for my application in social services; an ideal route into counselling and therapy. Not only that, Maui Guildford had been in touch and was wondering if I would come up for a few days to see if I would want a full time job at that base, rather than Bournemouth. Both seemed amazing opportunities but both would mean moving away from Mara, Dixon and Matthew. It was something I would have to plan a lot about. I don't think I could leave my best friends behind. Not after everything. I hadn't even had the chance to speak to them about either of my plans. I was still waiting for the initial paperwork to be sent to my email, and was told to do nothing until it hit my inbox so I can start typing it up straight away.

My phone vibrated and I ran over to my laptop, refreshing my inbox but nothing was there. Huh, odd. I picked up my phone, surprised to see a text waiting from **Jason (?).** I forgot to text him when I got home after the award ceremony, remembering three days later and of course that was too late. Instead, three weeks later, I text him saying thank you for what he had done and it seemed brilliant. He replied courteously, but I could tell he was pissed at me for not texting sooner. But I felt weird about him. It was almost like there were a small romantic spark between us two, but I couldn't work out why. I was never the lovey-dovey romantic type. So why now? Why Him? Why is he texting me now.

" **Hey, hun x"** He text me, and I frowned at my phone.

" **You alright? x"** I replied back immediately, hesitant on the kiss. I never add kisses on a text – it seemed pointless but not wanting to seem rude, I forced myself to add one. Urh.

" **Yeah, I'm good – you alright too? x"** What was this, a social date? I don't think so Mr. Jason whatever your last name was.

" **Sure x"** I replied, hoping that would be the end of the weird little saga that had just happened, but I was so mistaken when my phone vibrated a few minutes later.

" **That didn't seem to certain, but that wasn't why I text you. It was more a warning; something, or rather someone is going around the Savant community picking up and killing innocent people who aren't as strong as others, so to say. We can't seem to find any correlation yet between the people they are finding, apart from the fact they're alternating between America, Australia and England at the moment, they kidnap their victims for fourteen days before they are found dead. It's not a very nice text, I'm sorry, Luce, but it's worth telling you. Just be careful when you're alone and make sure someone always knows where you are. I don't want anything happening to you x"**

I frowned at the message; reading it once, twice and even a third time before my brain comprehended what it said. There was a mass killing going around Savant communities. My laptop bleeped as the document hit my inbox and I pressed the email, opening the link of the scanned in documentation of post mortem results and quite a few of them. I made my laptop split screen, the PDF files that had just been sent to me to the left and my word document on the right as I read the first post mortem.

A fourteen year old girl killed two and three quarters years ago found on the Riverside in Reading painted grey with stab wounds but initial cause of death was asphyxiation.

Then, a twenty one year old male, found in Texas, painted grey with stab wounds, initial cause of death asphyxiation.

Thirteen year old, female, painted grey, stab wounds, initial cause of death; asphyxiation.

Nineteen, painted grey, stab wounds, initial cause of death; asphyxiation.

I read all seventeen post mortems my draw dropping and a sick feeling to my stomach. These were all filed as separate cases but had been clumped together when the most recent attack had happened. I opened the most recent report, waiting for it to download to my laptop. The date of examination was printed today, about three hours ago and I saw the names of the two individuals who had done the post mortem, and then linked these murders together. Ella Benedict and Jason Browne. I recognised the former name; anyone who was a Savant recognised the "Benedict" name. They were the ones who started the Savant Net, something that we were all apart of (well, apart from Matthew's) and who had dedicated their life to preventing as much Savant crime as they could but I frowned at Jason's name. Maui had a strict one name policy, so if you worked there and somebody had the same name as you, you would go by a nickname. So Jason Browne was clearly the Jason I met at the event. He worked in post mortems? Lovely. I remembered the conversation; _I study dead people._ He told me, but I thought he was partly joking.

The body they had studies was the exact same as the others. A seventeen year old girl from Melbourne, who was reported missing over three weeks ago – a clipping of the missing persons report was added. She had gone to a party just up the road from their family house, it was a minute walk and she left the party completely sober but never made it home. She had gone missing in the minute walk it would have taken to walk home. The girl, who remains unnamed in the document, was found three days ago on a beach with asphyxiation marks around her neck from strangulation, but was painted head to toe in grey paint and had stab wounds as well. Ella had thought it seemed odd and drew up the other reports of other murders, which had different individuals doing the post mortem and signing it off, and realised it was a bigger picture.

Eighteen cases, including this one, of a mass murderer who kidnaps his victims for fourteen days, strangles them, paints them grey before stabbing them and leaving them in isolated places for people to find.

What had we on our hands now?


	17. Chapter 16 - Jason

**Chapter 15 – Jason**

I pressed "send" on my message to Lucy, locking my phone as I bit the side of my phone case as a hand touched my shoulder. Ella sat down beside me, running her hands through her hair as the paperwork in the middle of the table telekinetically shut itself. I don't know what made me feel even worse; the dead body I had just studied, the fact that no one picked up it was a mass murderer, the fact that innocent people were now at risk because someone at base didn't pick up it was a mass murderer, or the idea of Lucy ending up with the same fate. It was clear the targets were people who weren't going to fight back – all eighteen cases were people who were described as "shy" or "emotionally unstable" or "secretive". People who had come from rough backgrounds as Savants were at risk. Of course Lucy sprung to mind, which was why I immediately texted her begging her to take care. She had only text me a few weeks ago to say thank you and I replied civilised, but entirely pissed off she had given me the cold front. I thought we could have had something.

'Oh shit,' Ella whispered, tapping the table anxiously. 'What do we do?' she asked me, but I was just as confused as she was.

We were called in earlier to do a joint post mortem. It's not unusual – I would do all the science stuff whilst Ella would see if there was any link to any other murders or prisoners who match any case information before signing it off. We had driven in together, and the second we saw the dead seventeen year old on the table painted grey, both of us immediately got suspicious. We both remember a case we did when Lily was four months old – I remember reading the report before sending it off when we were in the park with her – of which a young girl was found dead in a town locally to where we both lived who was painted grey, suffocated and found with eight stab wounds. Ella found the case, and set a precautionary flag. She then went trawling through the databases and found sixteen more cases after case number one that happened, and case eighteen who was on the table in front of us. People hadn't been doing a thorough enough job never linking these cases together. Only Ella and I had put two and two together and it led to a much bigger picture.

Eighteen people, all under the age of twenty five, all Savant's of a weaker background were found dead – murdered – in public places, painted grey after being strangled and with stab wounds. The only slightly reassuring thing to my mind was the victims were unconscious when they were asphyxiated, which is why they never had any signs of fighting back, and they were painted and stabbed after they died. So it was painless – hopefully.

'We need to see if it's all conducted in the same style,' I said, clearing my throat and Ella nodded. We were in the meeting room leading onto the morgue section of the hospital where case eighteen was flown into us for special examination; case Eighteen was a member of the hidden net. Powerful Savant's, who's skill need to be hidden either due to increased strength or their jobs rely on it but who still are a part of the Savant Net are hidden from the database and need special permission to view it. Because case Eighteen was on this hidden database, her body was requested to be examined in Guildford. Ella telekinetically moved over seventeen loose leaf folders, which were all the other post mortems of the other's she flagged.

It had taken two hours of us reading in this room to finally understand what was happening. An individual went missing, and they had fourteen days unaccounted for before they were strangled, their official cause of death was asphyxiation, before they were painted in a waterproof matt grey paint before being stabbed eight times. This was 100% the work of not only a mass murderer, but also a bloody psychopath.

'Ella,' I whispered to her, gently touching her hand.

'Yeah?'

'You might want to see this,' I said, nodding to the map I pulled up after I pinpointed the two things from each case we knew; where they were last seen and where their bodies were found. 'So, they were taken somewhere near to their home address – look at case two, seven, nine, ten, eleven, thirteen, fifteen and eighteen. They were all on the same street as they live in. Fifteen to eighteen days later, their bodies were found at sunrise near water. Look, river banks, water supplies, dams, beaches.'

'So, they get kidnapped but they're not able to protest. I mean, if someone told me to get in the van on my street I would be able to run home, right, so they were unable to escape. It suggests it was a Savant doing the kidnapping and was able to stop them moving or protesting. Their countdown to their death starts – exactly two weeks. Then strangled, painted, stabbed. Body deposited near water.' Ella said and I nodded.

'Yeah,'

'That's... twisted.' She said, biting her lip.

'One of the tamer words to describe these events, Ella.' I tried to joke around with her but the tone was too heavy. She smiled slightly, sitting back down on her laptop.

'I'm just going to see if they're all on the Net,' Ella said and I nodded. One after one, she typed in the name and it bleeped saying they found the name she was searching for. One, two, three, four, five, six... the bleeps kept happening as she frowned.

'Jason –'

'Yeah?' I asked, pushing my chair around to see her screen as she typed in the full name of case number Eight. The results pinged up the name, and it was on the hidden net.

'They're all on the Grey net. Every single on them,' she said as my mouth dropped. Case number nine had a repeat. I watched in silence as she carried on typing and every single God damned name was on the list.

'Oh my God – they're all on the hidden, Grey Net.' I said as Ella drew up a map of her results, and every single one of them was on there.

'Oh, that makes sense.'

'What does?' I urged Ella as she started to shake. She ran her hands through her hair once more – a sign she's either stressed or heavily anxious.

'The hidden net is also known as the Grey net, somewhere you can remain hidden. The bodies were painted grey. They're all murderers, and the murderer is getting the information straight off the grey net. Everyone on the grey net, who thinks they are hidden and no one knows they're identity, is now in grave danger,'

'Holy crap,' I said, leaning back not quite understanding the magnitude. 'How many people are on the grey net?'

'About a hundred. It's tough to get put on there. If we take off these eighteen, there are only about eighty more people who are in serious trouble, but it gets worse Jason.'

'How can it get worse?' I asked Ella and I stood by my words. How could it get worse? Eighteen innocent people were murdered for no reason.

'Both Lily and me are on the Grey net.' She said, sucking her lips and looking up at me with tears in her eyes.


	18. Chapter 17 - Jason

**Chapter 16 – Jason**

'I want to track my Dad's side of my family,' I came to the moral conclusion, telling Ella.

We had been moved into another board room as they confirmed the links between each murderer, but without us being in the room to cause any bias. They had allowed us to bring in our work laptops, and some food as well but we had been in the isolated room alone for over two hours.

Both of us sat in silence on our laptops and I was deep in thought. This is serious, the case that is going on. And if Ella and Joe are correct, and my Dad was a Savant, and I had potential family members out there I can help them, tell them to be careful. I felt so shit just sitting here, knowing if I had any family out there that they were at risk and I couldn't even tell them or warn them. That was if Ella and Joe were correct and I had a family on my Dad's side. I found it hard to believe that on both sides of my genetics I had absolutely no family apart from Dooley. I had even lost contact with Dooley after I told her that I could do some weird stuff with my body and can heal myself, and she called me a freak. Effectively now, I had no one now. I had no family now my Mum and sister had disowned me. Ella and Joe, in a roundabout way, were my own family now. And little Lily, of course.

'You sure this isn't due just to this case?' Ella asked me, raising her eyebrow but not taking her eyes off the screen. She had hacked into the CCTV in the morgue, and the board room near it where they were seeing if there was any link between cases one through to eighteen. It was clear there is, and the paperwork had already been sent down to Bournemouth to be typed up to then be sent to Scotland Yard for the official statement, but it was just protocol.

'I've wanted to do it for ages, but this is a catalyst. If I had family, they need to be safe. I have no family now,' I told Ella softly and she nodded. She understood what had happened in the past two or so weeks; me telling Dooley, my sister, that I could heal myself and she told me never to talk to her or Mum again and had blocked my number and done the same on Mum's phone. Effectively, I have no family now – no one to turn too. My sister and my Mother disowned me. It would do the world of good for me to find out I had more family than the two that had just disowned me. I didn't know what I planned to do with the information; would I just call my Dad up? What if I had aunts and uncles? Cousins? Other brothers and sisters?

'You sure you know what you're in for? It won't take me long to bring up your family tree,' Ella said.

'You done it before?'

'No, your Dad is names on your full birth certificate, you only even saw the short version.' Ella told me. Oh, so I could have traced my dad at any given moment.

I sighed. 'Let's do it,'

'Come on, over here then.' Ella said, nodding to the seat beside her. Reluctantly, I got up, scared of what I would find.

Ella quickly closed down the CCTV footage she was streaming, and got up the Maui employee list. She was quite high up in the ranks at Maui so she could pull up this information with no questioning. She searched "Browne" into the search bar and immediately found myself.

'No going back?'

'No going back.' I confirmed with her.

'Alright,' She said softly, pulling up my record and pressing the birth certificate button. It pulled up the short version handed in when I got offered the job, and Ella managed to go a bit deeper into my record finding my full birth certificate. Under the table, she grabbed my hand and rubbed my thumb trying to calm me down and I let out a breath I didn't realise I was holding.

Ella eventually opened my full birth certificate and I looked towards the door as she continued to type his name tracking the man who is my known father down even further.

'Hang on,' Ella said and I looked at the screen. The name of the father was displayed clearly but I continued to look at all the other information.

'That's... weird. That can't be right,' she mumbled.

'What is?' I asked her, as she then typed in my father's name into the search bar.

'Fuck off,' She muttered under her breath.

'What?' I urged her.

'Nah... nah.' She said again.

'Ella what is wrong? You can't just not tell me,' I protested.

'Okay, that's your father,' She pointed to the first name, covering the last name with her finger. Isaac. I sighed slightly, not too sure what that meant.

'Okay...' I mumbled.

'So if we pull up his family tree,' She said, quickly pressing the name and then f8, which zoomed out. Sure enough the screen was filled with his relatives; on the same line as him his brothers and sisters – my uncles and aunts – and of course their partners and on the lines below all their children, my cousins. A few had red crosses through them which meant deceased, but that was on one family.

'So, there's your Dad. Isaac, and his brothers and sisters. There's seven, so normal Savant family. And if you look really close,' she zoomed into the family tree a bit further, into the genetic part which had the two parents crossed out in red, and five of their kids. 'There is me and Michael.'

'HANG ON,' I shouted as she grinned at the screen. 'I'm related to you?'

'Yup. You're my cousin, that's insane.' Ella leaned back in her chair, hands behind her head. 'That's not possible, surely.'

'Let me see?' I asked her and she gestured to the laptop.

Sure enough; Ella (my newly found cousin,) wasn't lying. I zoomed out of the family tree to see me added under "Isaac Benedict" - it was still glowing where Ella had added it in for us. Shaking slightly, I looked at all the other kids he had; he was married, with seven other children all under the age of fifteen, the youngest just two. I scrolled out a bit further and looked at all the other cousins I had suddenly inherited; of course there was Ella and Michael, the entirety of the Benedict clan with the addition of about twenty others. Suddenly, I went from having no family after my sister and Mum disowned for me for doing weird voodoo, to the world's biggest family and was well known for their Savant abilities.

'Oh shit, you're actually my cousin,' I whispered to her.

'Rock, paper, scissors?' Ella said, holding her fist out.

'For what?'

'Which one of us has to tell Joe – he will flip.' Ella said bluntly as I laughed slightly, staring at the screen. I had a family. Ella and Joe are my family now – so is Lily. So is Michael. However, I doubt Michael would take the news as well as Ella did.

'I think you might have too - you're going to marry him soon,' I joked and she rolled her eyes.

'Can't I tell him after the wedding?' Ella laughed slightly, playing with her engagement ring. The date of the wedding was slowly approaching – the date was at the end of July, in about eight or so week's time. Ella had already got the dress and the wedding bands and Joe had got the suits for him, me and Jake who were his ushers and the flower girl dress for Lily and the Bridesmaid dresses. The venue was sorted and it was all ready to go.

'We both are crap at keeping secrets,' I laughed slightly. At least it was probably genetic.

'That's... insane,' Ella muttered, looking at the screen. 'We never even knew he had a kid apart from the young ones,'

'They're my –'

'Half siblings, yeah. You're the oldest by quite a bit. They were all born this side of 2000. The oldest is fifteen, I think.' Ella explained. 'I'm going to call him, get this down.'

'Ella – no.'

'I'm not going to say you're here, I'm just going to confirm that you are his son before we start telling everyone,' Ella explained to me and whilst I was completely reluctant to hear the reasons why he left me when I was just three days old and even if he wants to know me before I had time to process the information, I understood why she was doing it. Also, I had no idea what I wanted to do now I had the information; I had a massive spanding family who were known to be extremely powerful, which included my best friends – one of who sat next to me now but would I want to know them as my family? How would my Dad even react to finding out I knew it was him? I had met all of Ella's brothers; Michael and the seven in Colorado and they seemed nice but how would they react when they find out I'm their cousin. Ella pulled out her phone, finding her contact for her Uncle and dialling it.

He picked up the fourth ring.

'Hello?' A deep voice answered.

'Hey Isaac, it's Ella.' Ella said gently, putting him on speaker as I stared at the phone in what I guess what complete shock.

'Oh, Ella, how are you? How's Lily? You haven't called me in a while,' The guy on the other side of the phone said and I could hear little kids laughing in the background. I bit my lip and looked at her in slight horror.

'We're good, yeah. It's been very busy at work recently,'

'I can imagine – anything you need my help with. It's odd that you call me – we normally speak telepathically,' my Dad said, and Ella nodded even though he couldn't see it. Wait – if I was a Savant could I speak telepathically? Ella had spoken to me like it before, so did Joe, but I had no idea how to reply. Had to try that out later.

'Er, yeah, are the kids around? Is Marsha there too?' Ella asked and I took a shuddered breath. Here we go.

'Marsha's at work, I've just got the young ones – the others are at school. What's wrong El?'

'Can you quickly go somewhere the kids can't here you?'

'Er, yeah, let me go upstairs.' Isaac said and we heard him speak to the younger children before the steady thumps of him going upstairs. I twitched my legs and Ella mouthed to me "get a coffee" and nodded towards the three kitchen units in the far corner. Slowly, dragging my feet I got up and boiled the kettle.

'Okay, what's up Ella?' He asked.

'Do you recall having a kid around twenty something years ago? A kid who now would be the same age as me?' Ella straight up asked. 'I know the answer is yes, but I want you to say it,'

'Wow, Ella, where has this come from?' He asked, sighing.

'Isaac...'

'Yeah, I had a son. He would have been a few months older than you.' He sighed and my jaw dropped. So it was true – he was my Dad.

'What do you mean would have been?' Ella asked, and because of my angle I couldn't see her face but guarantee she would have been shocked too.

'He died, Ella, he died a long time ago,' Isaac said incredibly sadly.

'Er – you sure?' She asked. 'What happened – how comes no one knew about him?'

'Ella, you can't judge me. I didn't tell anyone for a reason. Before you were born I was in love with this other woman – she wasn't a Savant, wasn't my Soulfinder. This was before Marsha obviously. She was so against Savant's and any form of ESP but she was perfect, so I never told her what I could do. She fell pregnant by accident, and I promised her I would stay with her and the kid but she found out I was a Savant. She never wanted to see me after, but I insisted in being there for the birth. She argued with me all the way through her labour, and I just took it. I would repeat what she said but it wasn't nice. But when he was born, it was brilliant. He was absolutely amazing – I don't have to describe it too you, you have Lily. You know exactly what it's like,' Ella nodded as I sat down next to her with two cups of coffee, taking a sip from my black coffee.

'For a day or so she was fine with the baby, and suddenly one night she just left with her other kid. I went to work at nine, when I came back at four she was gone. She moved. Pack up everything and left. She refused to pick up the phone, any texts. She just – disappeared. It broke my heart.'

'Did your son have a name?' Ella asked, looking at me as the mouthful of coffee stuck in my mouth.

'Jase. Well, it was Jason but I called him Jase or short.' He said and Ella and I caught eyes as I swallowed the scalding mouthful of coffee. He's my Dad. 'I thought I had lost him but I didn't give up the fight trying to find him. Eventually, she text me after a month. Jase had died during the night. Cot death. I was absolutely devastated. I couldn't get my head around it, I was just... I couldn't. She didn't tell me if there was a funeral. I still regretted letting her keep her slimy hands on my son. I never have forgotten him – ' Isaac explained,

'Oh. Give me a moment, someone's at the door,'

'Alright,' Isaac said and Ella muted the microphone.

'I thought he walked out and left – I had no idea Mum took me away and faked my death.' I said in absolute shock. I thought she was someone good. I knew she hated people who claimed to have ESP, which is why she wanted nothing more to do with me now, but to fake my own death so my Dad would never see me again was a new low. 'Tell him I'm alive.'

'Are you sure? You haven't really had time to think it through-'

'Tell him.' I said again and Ella shrugged again, pressing the mute button.

'I'm back,'

'Everything okay,'

'Yeah. Er. I don't quite know how to say this. Jason didn't die. He's still alive now.' Ella said to him and the phone line went silent.

'Ella, what do you mean,'

'The woman, his mother, lied. Jason never died, they moved away but he never died. He's... er... he's in the room at the moment. He looks quite a bit like you, too. He's also Lily's Godparent.' Ella explained.

'You mean that he's alive? Jase is still alive? Is he okay and well?' I had seen news reports of people finding out they had won the lottery, and Isaac – my Dad, was speaking in that exact same tone.

'Jason's fine, just really confused.' Ella said and I raised my eyebrow. So very confused.

'How do you know him? I never told Karilyn or Saul?' He said. Karilyn was Ella's birth Mum who died in the car crash and Saul was Karilyn's brother, who adopted Ella and became her new parents to which she was eternally grateful.

'I went to nursery with him, and he was Joe's best friend. He works at Maui with me. It was just a coincidence. A massive coincidence. We came across some very bad news within a case and he wanted to track his family and... yeah.' Ella said.

'Would he want to see me, do you know?' Isaac asked on the other end of the phone.

'Honestly, I think he's gone into shock. He's just drinking coffee and there is a massive case that's about to kick off and he's in a charge of it. I think he will want to see you in the near future, but not now. You might want to explain it to Marsha , though.'

'Yeah; it could be a hard one to explain.' Isaac laughed hollowly as I continued to sip my coffee vacantly listening to the words that were being said but not actively replying to them. 'Talk to Jason about it though, explain what actually happened and say I'm more than willing to see him.'

'Yeah, I will do don't worry. I'll call you when he talks to me, alright?'

'Thanks Ella, take care.'

'You too, see you later.' And with that Ella hung up the phone.

'Jason, breathe please. I can't deal with a mass murderer and you passing out on me.' Ella laughed, taking a sip of her coffee as my brain tried to comprehend what had happened within the last two hours or so. There was a mass murderer crawling his or her way through the Grey Net – the hidden part of the net which is meant to be so secure that only people who were high interest were placed in there. To even get a transfer, you would have to prove that you were high risk. I then asked Ella, just out of hope to track down my family in hope I would have at least one family member out there and wouldn't be a desolated orphan and it turns out I was part of a much bigger family. Ella was my cousin. Joe – my childhood best friend – is going to marry my cousin. Ella phoned up my Dad; her uncle – and he wanted to meet me and see what we can do. My Mum faked my death so I wouldn't see him again.

I was a bundle of unresolved emotions; I was so happy I finally had a big family of people who don't know I exist but would hopefully welcome me like Ella did but I was so incredibly pissed off with Mum and Dooley; they both knew about my Dad and must have faked the lie together that I died so he wouldn't see me. Just because he was a Savant.

But because I was a Savant, it made the whole Grey net case a Hell of a lot worse, because now my family were at risk.


	19. Chapter 18 - Lucy

**Chapter 17 – Lucy**

'Dixon, you have to stay inside from now on,' I ran into the apartment living room, where Dixon was on her settee watching the reruns of Friends on Comedy Central, and I swear she hadn't moved since I left eight hours ago for work. Mara popped her head over the side of the sofa, looking over at me. I had just ran straight from work home, which was around a ten minute run, with my rucksack bouncing against my back causing a bruise where my water bottle was in a desperate urge to tell them about the case. Whilst confidentially was a massive issue; two out of my three best friends were Savant's, and Mara wasn't but may as well have been. She knew all about Savant's and knew exactly the gifts of some of the most powerful Savant's on the base.

Dixon raised her head to look at me, wiping her hair out of her face and sealing her bag of cheese savouries she was three quarters of the way through.

'Lucy, you okay?'

'No, you have to be safe. MATTHEW!' I called into the flat, and a few seconds later he popped his head out of the bathroom door. Matthew didn't live here, but rather in student accommodation near to university for his PhD, but he was always here and shared my bed most nights, especially as Jason's friend had got rid of the emotions that came with the dreams it meant I never woke up thrashing around anymore and actually had got several weeks of good sleeps and I felt so much better for it. Even Matthew, whose Savant gift was dream manipulation, couldn't do that. He manipulated the dreams to stop, sure, but it just led to another one. My brain was like several thousand filing cabinets filled with endless abuse dreams, whipping one out after another.

'You alright, hun?' Matthew asked as I shook my head. Suddenly, I covered my eyes and started to cry. That sent everyone flying. Matthew shot over to me, putting his arm around my shoulder and leading me towards the settee as Dixon sat up, grabbing the well used box of tissues – only used by me obviously – and Mara came and knelt on the floor in front of me, rubbing my knee.

'What's wrong, love?' Matthew asked me softly.

'Change onto the news, quick,' I gasped through my sobs, curling up into Matthew's chest. Matthew sat me down in between his legs as he gently rubbed my side, trying to get me to calm down and stop having the panic attack that I appeared to be having.

' **And we're bringing you back to the breaking new. Eighteen murders of teenagers and young adults, aged between eleven and twenty one have been linked by Government services. There is no known suspect as of yet, but we bring you to Scotland Yard, where we are waiting an official statement-'** the BBC news anchor said to the TV in her bright red blazer suit, and the TV screen cut to a press interview. Four people sat on a long table, covered in a white sheet; two Scotland yard officers, another individual, and the senior boss of Maui – Susan – sat in the far corner.

' **We believe that this case only poses a serious threat to certain members of a certain community, all of which will be notified. If you are not part of this community you are not at risk and will need to take the normal precautions – we cannot stress this enough. Emergency operations will be underway for those who are at risk from this mass murderer to ensure their safety. We ask for respect for the families of those affected,'** the main officer from Scotland Yard said, as flashing lights continued.

' **How do we know who is affected?** ' One of the media outlets asked.

' **As my colleague stressed, only a fine minority of people are under threat and we are under way to secure those who find themselves at risk,'** Susan replied and I knew exactly who they were; they were every single member of the Grey Net. A few years ago they started putting high risk teenagers into a group if their families used the Net to prevent criminals who used their Savant gifts for crime to stop something like this happen. Now – it was. Even little Lily, who I met at the award ceremony was on the risk list.

' **So your plan of action is to be idiots and we'll be safe,'** Another media outlet shouted and my jaw dropped – that seemed like a crap idea!

' **If you exercise slightly heightened precautions you'll be fine.'**

' **Do you have any idea who is behind these murders?'**

' **No.'** Susan said bluntly.

' **How will you find them without someone else dying?'**

' **We have some different leads we are following up at the moment, we ask for patients and confidentially at these times. Thank you,'** and with that the press conference was over.

'Lucy – what is happening?' Matthew asked as I tried to calm my panicked sobs. He held me a bit tighter, playing with my hair as Mara sat in front of me gently rubbing my ankles. Dixon had already grabbed her laptop to see what was on the internet portal of Maui which would probably keep some warnings hidden around about this case.

'Over the last three years people – Savant's – keep getting murdered but it's been pushed under the rug. All of them get kidnapped from somewhere closer to home where people know they're missing. Fourteen to eighteen days later, they were found dead by rivers or large bodies of water painted grey and all have been stabbed,'

'What?' Dixon asked, her jaw dropping in shock.

'I know! They're all from the grey net so far, but it could just spread to the Net,'

'This is why I told you not to join – the Net isn't safe.' Matthew told me.

'It has been up until now, what's changed?' Dixon asked me and I shrugged.

'No one knows.'

'So these will keep happening until some idiot up in Guildford gets it together and helps these innocents from getting murders unless the guy at Maui can't be arsed...,' Matthew snapped and I hit his leg.

'No, Jason will do everything he can.'

'Jason?' Mara asked, waggling her eyebrow. 'I thought he works in forensics and post mortems?'

'He did, him and Ella Benedict did the most recent one and struck the information together. Jason will do everything he can,' I said.

'You met him once, Luce, you don't know what he's really like,' Matthew said softly.

'Why are you so convinced he's bad?' I asked him, completely shocked.

'How can he be so angelic when he studies dead people? He's got to be in on this?'

'Matthew!' I argued, yelling at him. 'You cannot just make assumptions like that? How can you just assume someone's bad because of their job, because they're gifted in what they do? Do you think all bin men are disgusting because it's their job? All surgeons love blood? Does that mean that I'm – I'm pathetic because I was abused? Does that mean you think I'm frigid because my Dad sold me to people in his precious Kingdom as a sex relief to his fellow friends? Do you think I'm pathetic because I didn't fight back against the sex? It's bullshit, Matthew.' I yelled at him, getting up and stand behind the other sofa, offering protection but it did nothing against the stone looks I was getting from Matthew, and also the worried-concerned looks from Mara and Dixon. I swallowed, awkwardly changing my positioning.

'You were... sexually abused too?' Mara said softly and I looked at Matthew.

'I'm just going to leave, it'll probably be for the best,' I said quietly, walking straight out the door, only stopping to pick up my hand bag that was on the floor; knowing I have a few stray notes in the bottom and a spare key fob for the front door of the lobby downstairs. I didn't bother looking again as I stormed out the door, slamming it behind me.


	20. Chapter 19 - Lucy

**Chapter 19 – Lucy**

It didn't take me long to run down to Bournemouth beach, my brain all over the place. How dare Matthew even suggest that Jason would have done such a terrible crimes, killing eighteen people, just because it was his job to examine bodies and work on crime scenes? Although there was a fine chance; he could have covered up his own tracks, falsified the reports and filed it. But Jason would never, never even think about murdering someone. And not a young preteen girl. Not anyone! And not only that, I told Mara and Dixon about the sexual abuse, the creepy fingers that lingered on my skin, touching me where places where – I can't even think about it. They would never look at me the same, they would tip toe subjects like sex now. I suppose they won't call me a virgin anymore ever. I sighed as I collapsed down on the soft sand of the beach, brining my knees to my chest. I needed someone to speak too. But I didn't know who I could speak too in this situation. Matthew, Dixon and Mara were the entire list. I could call my therapist, I guess I could call my therapist, but I'd rather extract my brain through my nose. There was only one other person who cared about me, but I hadn't spoken to him near enough since the award ceremony. Would he care?

Without double guessing my moves, I pulled out my phone and dialled the last person who text me – apart from Matthew apologising and asking where I am and the miscalls from Dixon and Mara. He picked up on the second ring.

'Lucy – are you okay?' Jason asked the second the call connected.

'Jason,' I said, immediately starting to cry on the phone.

'Hey, Lucy, you okay? Are you in trouble? What's wrong love?' He asked softly, but with a sense of urgency. I guess he was still at work on this case.

'I'm fine; I don't know why I called you. It's nothing important –'

'Love, you're crying on the phone to me, I think you might be lying to me. What's happen?' Jason asked softly. I heard a chair on the side of the phone scrape back.

'I fell out with Dixon, Mara and Matthew. They said something bad about you, and I flip and I told them that I was sexually abused too – raped – when I was at Kingdom, and you should have seen the way they looked at me like I was some kind of freak! I don't know what to do – I don't want to go home tonight. I... I don't know what to do, Jason, I don't even know why I'm crying, or why I called you,' I whispered as I cried, sobbing ungraceful really unattractive sobs down the phone.

'Lucy, it's okay love. Do you want to come and stay with me tonight?' Jason said softly down the phone.

'Don't you like in London,'

'No, Ascot.'

'I don't even know where that is,' I whispered feeling incredibly stupid. 'I don't have a car – I can't even drive.'

'There are always trains. Hell, I'll drive down to pick you up.' Jason said, and I heard him whisper something to the person he was in the room with. 'Bournemouth, yeah? It's only an hour and a half drive; I'll be with you before dark,'

'Jason you can't do that just for me,'

'I can, and I will. There's a KFC nearby, yeah?'

'About a twenty minute walk,' I whispered, in shock someone would drive this far just to come and pick me up because I was sad. I honestly had no idea what I would do now; I couldn't go back to my flat knowing Matthew would continue to have a go at me for standing up for some random boy I met on a night out, and Dixon and Mara would go back to pandering me like they did when I told them about my past. It took over four months for them to treat me like an equal and not someone who was lacking. Jason, however, didn't even mention anything about it. I guess I would be sleeping rough or in a tacky hotel room somewhere if it wasn't for the boy with the golden heart.

'Then go and get some clothes from Primark or something if you can or you'll be wearing my clothes, I mean if you want to do that you totally can, and go into KFC – I'll meet you there, okay?' Jason said softly.

'Thank you Jason, thank you so much –'

'Anytime, love, I'll see you in a bit. Keep your phone on, alright? I won't be too long.'

'Okay. Thank you-' I whispered down the phone to him, entirely thankful for the cute stranger I had met only once, and text twice.

'Stop thanking me, sweetheart, I'll be there soon. Text me if you need me,' And with that, Jason hung up the phone and I curled up into myself on the beach, thankful I had my spare bank card in my small brown handbag. There was something about Jason that was incredibly soft and caring, and I think I had to consider the possibilities I had a crush on him.

No wonder why though; he had model looks about him. Soulful chocolate brown eyes that showed all forms of emotion, his brown hair that was meant to be in a small quiff but ended up flopping around everywhere making him seems positively adorable. High cheek bones and stubble – he had the bad boy looks like one of those guys in Sixth Form that would play around at parties but deny any form of responsibility after. However, his heart of gold was the thing that won me over; he spent the award ceremony sitting with me despite females coming up and hitting on him, or lads trying to buy him drinks. He sat with me as I sobbed and held a bloody tissue to my nose and now he's driving over 80 miles, for an hour and a half, just to come and pick me up, before driving an hour and a half back because I was upset for a minute long phone call. I think he would be the only person I would seriously commit having a relationship with if the situation would arise but he's too good for me. I would just have to struggle knowing he would be else girl, but I owed him a lot now.


	21. Chapter 20 - Lucy

**Chapter 19 – Lucy**

I sat in KFC over my drink looking out the window waiting for Jason to arrive. The two hour mark had just passed and I had only received a text from him saying there were temporary roadworks on the motorway, and he would be slightly late but he would be with me eventually. That was an hour ago, but still no sign. I didn't even know what car I would be looking out for, but I sat on one of the window seats waiting his arrival. The sun had set about forty minutes ago as it had turned nine o'clock, but KFC was only busy with individuals arriving and leaving with their takeout food.

In the two or so hours since my phone call with Jason, I decided I had to ask him why he was willing to do all of this for me – someone who was just a chance acquaintance with him. I had also splashed out at Primark, not wanting to look too stupid when I was at Jason's flat or house. I now came fully equipped with fluffy pyjamas, matching bra and underwear, jeans, joggers and shirts. I also did nip into Boot's to get toiletries, too scared to embarrass myself around Jason. My entire new haul sat around my ankles in two separate bags and I sighed, taking a sip from my Coke, wanting Jason to be here. I wanted him.

It was another three or four minutes before a Silver Corsa indicated into the car par out the front of KFC, giving way to traffic before turning in, parking in one of only three empty spaces. I hesitating, hoping and praying that it was Jason. Sure enough, after a few seconds sitting in the car the engine turned off and Jason got out the car, slamming the door shut behind him and locking it from the fob key before heading it. It didn't take him long to head upstairs to find me. I jumped off my swivel seat as he came around the top of the stairs, heading straight towards me. I edged towards him hesitantly before I suddenly lost it again, breaking down into tears as he hugged me.

'Oh, Luce,' He said softly, wrapping his arms around my waist and swaying slightly as I covered my eyes and put my head against his chest – amazed to be able to feel the muscles through his jumper. 'It's okay, love.' He whispered to me, kissing my forehead slightly as I continued to sob.

'It's not,' I said realising everyone in the fast food restaurant was probably watching us.

'Let's discuss this in the car, yeah?' Jason said softly. He picked up my two bags of shopping without any hesitation, passing me the remains of my Coke as he put his spare arm around my waist, slowly leading me out the building. He paused outside his Corsa, unlocking the car again as he put the bags in the boot, before leading me around the passenger side of the car. He opened the door, gesturing comically to climb in before walking around to the driver's side.

'So what actually happened?' Jason ask softly, sitting on his leg so he can look at me as I started to shake – I had stormed out of my flat earlier in just a thin camisole, with my naked arms now exposed as the temperature dropped it probably was a stupid idea on my behalf. Jason grabbed a blanket that was on the back seat of his car and quickly unfolded it and laid it over the top of me as I sobbed gently. I barely noticed the soft weight of Jason's hand on my lap. 'You don't have to tell me if you don't want too,' He said again as I remained silent. But I wanted too. More than anything, I wanted too. Damn his reverse psychology.

'After I filed the paperwork for your case, sending it out for the statements I ran home to warn the others – Matthew, Mara and Dixon. Matthew started saying this is why he wasn't in the Net because it wasn't safe and then he started blaming you for the whole thing and I know you'd never do anything like this, so I stuck up for you and he said it was you because you study forensics and do the post mortems and I got annoyed and I said that he must have thought if you did this because your job was to do the post mortems that I'm frigid because my Dad sold me to people at Kingdom for sex, and I'm pathetic because I didn't fight back and I lost it and stormed out but Mara and Dixon did the whole sad look and I'm just so confused, Jason,' I said in a hurry, crying.

'Oh Lucy,' was all he said, awkwardly hugging me. 'It's okay,'

'How can you say that, Jason, my friends all hate me.'

'They don't hate you; they were only doing it because they were scared. It's hard news to digest, this whole case, especially when someone you love is at risk.' Jason explained to me.

'If they hate me I don't have anywhere I can go,'

'You can stay with me for as long as you like, alright? I really don't mind. I mean – I have a hamster who will love you.' Jason confirmed with me. 'It's a lovely drive down here; if you ever need me don't be afraid to just call.'

'You don't care that I was sexually abused?' I whispered to him, fiddling with the fleece material of the blanket he put over me. He sighed slightly.

'Of course I care, Lucy, but it doesn't change the way I view you. You're still one of the nicest, prettiest people I have ever met. I care in the principle that it still upsets you, and you never did anything to deserve that, but It doesn't suddenly chance the way I see you,' He said, rubbing my knee. 'Let's get you home,'

Without any further comments, and with my brain still milling over what he just said – prettiest girl? – He put the car into reverse, driving out of the bay and back onto the main road, heading North. I knew it was a long drive – judging by the two hours it took for him to come down here to pick me up. Honestly, I wasn't even too sure where Ascot was, but as long as it got me away from the Hell that would be my flat tonight I didn't care. He could just take me to a small alleyway and set up a small tent and I would be more than compliant and sleep in it. Jason was going well out of his way to make sure I was doing okay, and I still didn't know why.

'Interesting day?' I asked him after a comfortable ten minutes of dead silence.

'I suppose you could say that,' Jason replied, and after a few seconds of realising I wouldn't fill the silence, not being much of a talker, he continued the conversation. 'I asked Ella to track my Dad's side of the family,'

'And?'

'I have a lot more family than I anticipated. You know my Dad walked out when I was three days old, right? Well, that was a lie my Mum sprung on me. My Mum absolutely hated people who claimed to have ESP, which included Savant's of course. I never knew I was a Savant until a few months ago, and when I told my half sister Dooley she basically told me never to speak to her or Mum again. She blocked my number, got hold of my Mum's phone done the same thing. I went around there and they ignored me, changed the lock on the door and even emptied out my childhood bedroom. So I thought I had no family and whilst I was upset it didn't do much but I wanted to know what was out there on my Dad's side and if he was a Savant so at least I knew where I got it from. So when we linked the case and had to wait for it to be verified, I asked Ella to track it. Ella's absolutely lovely and she's quite high up in the ranks at Maui but will bend every rule she comes across if it's to help someone. So she hacked into my record, my Dad was on my full birth certificate so it wasn't too tricky to find him that way and all it took from there was stringing up his family tree.' Jason explained, following the roads in a series of almost ballet movements, like he's memorised the route back to his place.

'Anyone interesting on there,'

'Yeah – Ella's my cousin,' Jason explained.

'What!'

'I know, I still don't quite believe it. It also means that I'm a Benedict, too,'

'What!' I repeated. Everyone knew the Benedict's in America – they had inherited the Savant Net and were in charge of transfers, moving people around and so on and whilst they've nearly been in trouble several times because of risky moves and so on they've escaped the bullets so far. However, this case might be inescapable. The Benedict's – the ones on charge of the Net - were mainly a Soulfinder couple and their eight kids in Colorado – seven boys and a girl. The girl was twins with the second youngest boy but rumours had it she wore the pants in the family. However, there was more Benedict's than what there was just in Colorado – the family was huge. There were about thirty other cousins in circulations with different surnames from the other six children of the Benedict's first generation. They were a massive source of gossip at work, if you couldn't guess. 'You can't be though, they all live in America!'

'I think you've been left out the loop,' Jason said. 'Some of them do, some don't. What do you know about the Benedict's?'

'Well, there's a whole bunch of them in Colorado that's in charge of the Net and there's other little pods of family milling around, I don't know much but there's three babies now, isn't there?'

'Yeah, Diamond's had the baby, Phee had hers and Ella as well – You've met Lily, of course,'

I tried not to scream out loud. Hang on. I frowned at Jason as I tried to process the news. Lily was a Benedict? That didn't make sense.

'Bless you; you really have been kept out the loop,' He whispered, touching my knee.

'Please explain.'

'Right, the way that Ella explained it to me earlier included a diagram which I don't have on me nor can I draw so just keep with it. The original Benedict's had seven kids with a ten year age gap between them. I think it went Karilyn, Isaac, Lisanne, Saul, Carter, Nathaniel and Sapphire but don't hold me on that. As they grew up the parents established the Net as a way to keep their kids safe and it slowly snowballed and more and more people joined. As everyone got older, one of the locals from the tribe – they're native American or at least partly – was a Soulseeker who can find your Soulfinder. The local started to help them with finding their other half which sent most of them off around the world. Lisanne to Australia, Isaac and Karilyn to England, Saul to Orange County, Sapphire to India, Carter to Italy and Nathaniel to the Netherlands. All of them found their Soulfinder's, and blah blah blah weddings and so on happened. I'm leaving my existence out of this for now, because it's easier. So Saul and Karla got married, and started having kids as did the rest of the family. Trace, Uriel, Victor, Will, Xav, Yves and Zed were all born – seven boys and no girls, still with me?'

'Sure,' I said, really confused.

'Brilliant,' Jason said softly, touching my knee again, his thumb lingering slightly. The simple gesture made my heart exploded every single time.

'So on this side of the pond, Karilyn and her husband had seven kids as well, Christopher, Sophie, Jodie, Marcus, Cameron, Michael and Ella. However an awful crash happened when Ella was only four and a bit and it killed both her parents and the five oldest children. It left only Michael and Ella, and it was deemed attempted murder so both the siblings had to go into hiding and assume false identities. Ella was adopted by her Uncle and Aunt – Karla and Saul, she moved to America. The whole lie to protect her was she was twins with the second youngest Yves, despite the age difference but she still looks about four so everyone believe it.'

'Wow,' I whispered, looking out the front of the car amazed.

'Yeah, she came back over a few years ago for a case, met her Soulfinder, my best friend, was evacuated from Maui because there was death threats for them two, a month later when the dismantled bombs on their holiday, Ella was already pregnant with Joe's kid as they got together at an engagement party for the night, and Joe proposed she of course agreed, they had the baby – Lily – and yeah. Skip forward until today, we found out that I was an accident child of Isaac, this is where it gets a bit messier, you ready for this?' Jason joke around but I was so thankful for the conversation at hand and how comfortable it made me.

'Yeah,'

'I thought my Dad didn't want anything to do with me. Turns out, my Mum found out he was a Savant during her pregnancy and was told him to leave but he didn't, so when I was three days old my Mum and Dooley just packed everything up, and took me with them with no trace of my Dad. She then text my Dad saying I had died. Isaac was devastated, but no one in his family knew about me. He went on to find his Soulfinder, got married and now has seven kids with them. Ella called up Isaac and he explained the full story and I think I'm meeting up with him soon to see what will happen now,' Jason explained, checking the rear view mirror as he indicated to go into another lane of the motorway.

'At least you'll actually have family,' I said, meaning to be nice but it came out menacing.

'You don't need family, though. I mean, last time I spoke to my mum properly was when I was eighteen before I went to university. After that I never went around hers for Christmas or birthdays, just got a card in the post and sometimes not even that. You don't need family,' Jason said matter-of-factly.

'I guess, but it's different when your family holds you against your will and beats you up, it's different.'

'True, are they still not in prison?'

'They've done nothing wrong to get Maui's attention,' I muttered, feeling exhausted. I rolled my head against the window, just wanting to be safe again. It was weird, I wanted to be back at Jason's – somewhere I've never been with someone I've only met once before – because my brain said it was safe. I was never this easy around someone – what happened now?

'Are you kidding? They held you against your will, hit you – sexually abused you too and you said they did nothing wrong?' Jason gripped the steering wheel a bit tighter and I flinched even further against the window, hitting my head. I knew he was getting angry at me, and it brought back the memories of Him hitting me when I said something wrong. I said something wrong to Jason. I had to be punished.

'Sorry,' I whispered, my voice breaking as I curled up into myself.

'Lucy?' Jason said softly, taking his eyes off the road to look at me. 'Lucy, love, I never –' He said but I made a small squeak noise out of fear, curling up even smaller. Silence filled the car and I felt us steer to one side, slowing down as we took another corner. The car then jolted as it stopped, and something clicked and the engine shut down.

'Lucy,' Jason said incredibly softly. He gently touched my ankle, the only part of me that wasn't engulfed in the ball I had made. 'I won't ever hurt you like he did, you know that?'

No. Well, I knew Jason didn't have it in him but anger makes people do all kind of stupid things. I still flinch away from Matthew when he raises his hand near me.

'I'm sorry, I really am,' Jason mumbled.

'How do I know you won't hit me,' I whispered as my legs dropped down from the seat. I looked at him, and only saw concern in his eyes. That's how I knew – that look. I had trust issues that would never end but I trusted Jason. I adjusted how I was sitting, so I was still slouching on the chair but was facing him. I knew exactly what I wanted to do – but was it stupid? Was it too early?

'You don't – but I won't ever do anything to hurt you.' Jason said and I believed him wholeheartedly. His hand touched mid-thigh again and I watched it just stay there for a second or two, before looking up at Jason. God, he was some sort of super model. Slowly, I leaned forward in the car, his hand still grazing my thigh and my lips met his.

It was incredible; it felt like fireworks going off my in my brain and sparklers in every nerve ending I had. The kiss was incredibly tender and full of emotion as Jason's hand went around my back, gently rubbing my spine free of any knots I held as my hand gently cupped his neck desperate to have more off him. I knew in that moment I wanted Jason, and I never wanted him to leave me. He would never be a threat to me, and I think he proved himself by driving over to Bournemouth to pick me up in seconds. There was no hesitation, he dropped whatever he was doing to come and get me and I was so thankful for that. I moaned, slightly, deepening the kiss and I knew in that moment that I wanted him so desperately to be my Soulfinder, because how would I ever survive with anyone other than Jason. He was a stranger one moment, and suddenly he was everything to me. The light at the end of an otherwise darkening tunnel.

He pulled away, smiling at me as he tucked a strand of loose hair behind my ear.

'That was new,' He said in a low tone and I smiled at him.

'Sorry,' I muttered shyly, blushing.

'No, don't apologise. That was... incredible,' Jason said as I lolled my head against the back of my seat, looking at him. Was this what it was like to fall in love? Because there was no doubt that it was happening. Very slowly, but there was no doubt. 'Let's go home,' He said softly, starting the engine up again and driving out of the service yard we had stopped.

'How far we got left to go?'

'About forty minutes – we get off the motorway soon, then it's quieter roads. Go to sleep, sweetheart, I'll wake you up when we get back to mine.' Jason said to me, finding my hand and holding it slightly. I looked at him as he continued to drive through the motorway leading towards his house. Slowly, feeling a strange sense of happiness ad content that I hadn't felt before, I started drifting off looking at the wonderful man who picked me up over eighty mile away- the guy I swear I was falling in love with after meeting only twice.


	22. Chapter 21 - Jason

**Chapter 20 – Jason**

I pulled up into my driveway outside the small house I owned in South Ascot. Before getting out the car, I sent a text to Ella saying I was home, and despite it being 23:11, she replied straight away asking how Lucy was. She was – with Joe, after all, the one who covered the rest of my shift when I swiftly departed to pick her up. I text back saying she was tired and extremely upset but she'll be fine – I hoped at the very least. I looked over at Lucy who was still asleep on the chair, curled up in the passenger seat. Her auburn hair was falling across her face, covering her left eye, her right eye was hidden by the fabric of the chair, the fleece blanket I always kept in the back of my car in case Ella had one of her cold episodes near me was now over her slim body, and her hand lolled over the seatbelt clip. I looked her up and down and smiled slightly to myself. I didn't realise someone could be so perfect, or kiss so well.

I got out the car, quickly running down the sloped steps towards the front of my house, unlocking the door to the conservatory and then into my house.

'Hey, Bas,' I said to the Syrian Hamster Joe got me on my last birthday, saying I was lonely how he had settled down. Whilst I frowned at him like he was wrong he was correct. Whilst I could always drop by their house, I felt a little less inclined now Lily was around. Whilst both of them were up all kind of odd hours, I couldn't just interrupt their days and nights with a sleeping toddler because I had no real friends apart from Joe and Ella. All the guys in the forensics department are arseholes who I didn't get on with but I had no choice, having a degree in that field and no Savant gift to be able to move. However now I could feel I could have more possibilities. The Syrian Hamster ran up to me, standing up on the bars of his cage as I fussed him. 'I brought someone home – don't bite them, okay?'

My hamster moved away from the caged bars, and started licking his testicles.

'Nice Bas, I'll take that as an agreement.' I said to him, turning on the light in the lounge before jogging back out to the car. I opened the boot, double checking Lucy was still asleep, and grabbed her two bags – the things she brought because she couldn't go back to her flat – and held onto them as I closed the boot. Jogging back down my small house, I left the bags just inside the door. Now to go get the most valuable thing in the car; Lucy.

I ran back up the steps, opening the car door on Lucy's side. She gently stirred, but remained asleep as I smiled at her. Gently, I teased my arm under her legs, the other around the back of her neck as I teased her out of the car. I kicked the door closed, gently holding the beautiful girl in my arm as I locked the car behind me. Careful not to jolt or to slip I carried her into my house, telekinetically closing the doors behind me – something Ella had taught me to do after we had stalked my family tree but before I left to get Lucy. I was glad I still remembered how to do it.

Slowly I eased her small frame onto my sofa, putting the blanket up around her shoulders, a pillow under her head as she continued to sleep. Tutting, I eased the bag she had around her neck off, placing it down on the floor trying to ignore the phone vibrating where someone was trying to get hold of her.

However, it didn't take long for Lucy to wake up, sensing she was somewhere different.

'Jason?' She asked sleepily in a small tired voice. It sounded like it came from somewhere very dark. I backed out of the kitchen, where I was just washing up the pile of plates I hadn't done since last night. Lucy was sitting on my sofa, shaking slightly, and confused.

'Yeah, hun?'

'Where am I? How did I get here?'

'I drove to pick you up, remember?' I asked, sitting down on the floor in front of her.

'I remember that – but I meant how did I get... here.' She said, touching the cream sofa.

'I... er... I carried you in.' I said softy and she looked at me with confusion in her eyes. Slowly, it set in exactly why she was here and she teared up again. As I watched, she brought her legs to her chest, arms around her knees and head onto her knees.

'Oh no, please don't do that,' I said, getting up and sitting next to her, putting my arm around her as she fell into my chest slightly still curled up. I hugged her tight, as he started sobbing on my arm. In a risky move, I hauled her into my lap, leaning back as she did. Holding her body towards me, she continued to cry. It took over ten minutes for Lucy to calm down, and when she did she just curled up into my chest, as I held her gently.

'What's wrong?' I asked her.

'I'm sorry –' She simply said.

'For what?'

'You drove down just to pick me up, brought me back to yours and you don't act like it's a big deal,'

'It's not a big deal, that's why?' I laughed gently, hugging her tighter towards me. I was incredibly amazed at how light she was and how small she was as well. Sure, she was about five foot six or so but when she's curled up she was tiny. 'Your phone has been vibrating constantly,'

'Oh shit, I didn't tell anyone where I've gone,' Lucy said, darting forward to grab her phone.

'Did you just storm out and ignore everyone?' I asked, slightly shocked someone so timid would do something. Did she say why she did it? More importantly – what did they say to her to provoke such an extreme reaction?

'Er – yeah,' She said, grabbing her phone and flicking through the messages. She immediately started to cry, falling back onto my chest and I hugged her tightly. She was so broken it hurt to see her like this.

'What's wrong?'

'I'm a terrible person – I can't call them, I can't!' She said through her broken sobs.

'Hey, love, I'll call them.' I asked, gently going onto my side to look at her as she sobbed continuously. Although I felt irritated – how has no mental health service helped her through this? It was clear she was incredibly anxious and probably depressed too and was crystal clear that she had serious trouble when it comes to socialisation. I hadn't noticed how she flinched whenever she fell into me, or I moved a bit too suddenly. She was the definition of traumatised from the abuse she went through as a child.

I hadn't quite managed to understand what had happened until I got into the records shortly before Lucy had called me. I was thinking of everyone I could warn, and of course Lucy was the top of my list; she was just over the age range, but was extremely vulnerable and a strong Savant who can bloody disappears. If that didn't put her on the list, I didn't know what would. But when I researched into her a bit, I found she was on the border of the Grey Net and the normal Net; only her and two others were because of their case status. As Lucy was rescued from abuse but barred from working at Maui until earlier this year, she was still in between the two categories of the net. All she had to do was get a check up and she'd be back on the normal visible Net.

But her case was harrowing; fifteen years of abuse. When they found her, she was severely underweight with broken bones, bruises, deep cuts with no education. She could speak but only in basic sentences, and had the literary skills of a five year old – barely able to read and write. However, she showed an interest in learning and within the few months she was based in the Maui hospital she managed to pick up enough information to sit her GCSE exams and got better grades then I did. She passed A-levels, got into university and eventually slipped off the records until she was hired in Bournemouth, and her gift was listed as "unknown". However, I didn't miss seeing her birth date; fifteen days after mine.

'They don't know you,' She whispered and I ran my hand over her shoulder bone.

'They can't yell at me too much then, can they?' I said to her gently, holding my hand out. Slowly, but slightly unwillingly, she passed over her phone. I looked at the texts from three different numbers; Matthew, Mara and Dixon begging her to get in touch and over 20 miscalls. I quickly dialled the number that had last tried to dial her; someone under the name of Matthew. It didn't take him long to pick up – only about one or two rings.

'Lucy, thank God – where are you?'

'Er, It's not Lucy, but she's safe, don't worry. She's staying with me the night and for however long she wants too.' I said as Lucy looked at me with slight shock.

'Who are you, exactly?'

'Jason,' I said, not entirely sure what to say.

'Oh, you're the guy she defended. Don't you dare murder her or touch her,' the Matthew guy snarled at me down the phone and Lucy started to cry a bit more and fell into my shoulder as my arm came up around her back to hold her a bit tighter.

'What the bloody Hell do you mean by that?' I argued back.

'You're part of the Net, yeah?'

'Yeah?' I questioned back, kissing Lucy's forehead like it was a reflex, not even pausing to think why such a thing felt like a habit now.

'And you're involved in these eighteen murders of Savant's.'

'I'm not involved in the murders – what's wrong with you?' I snapped back.

'Matthew, fuck off he's not murdering anyone. He's being a better friend than you are at this moment in time,' Lucy shouted at him and I surveyed the girl who had barely managed to speak for the last few hours because she was encased in sleep, or sobbing.

'Is that Lucy – let me speak to her,' I looked down at her and she shook her head, burying herself in my shirt as she continued to cry. Any more tears and I would have to rehydrate her.

'She said no. Look, she's safe and she has a safe place to stay for as long as she needs. I wasn't involved in these murders at all, and your friend is absolutely safe with me –' I said, trying desperately not to snap at him for offending Lucy – or calling me a murderer.

'Let me speak to her –' He said as I hung up the phone, cradling Lucy back into my lap again as she continued to cry.

'You can cry for England, love,' I whispered gently to her. 'It's been a long night, let's go to bed now.' I said, picking her up again in my arms, rocking her from side to side softly as I carried her up the flight of stairs that led to the bedroom. 'I'll sleep downstairs, if you need me just call,'

'No, hang on,' Lucy mumbled, wiping her tears away with her shirt. 'I can't kick you out of our own bedroom,'

'I don't care,' I said to her honestly.

'I do!' Lucy said, finally starting to fight back after nearly an hour of sobbing. I smiled at her. 'Look, we can share a bed without it meaning anything. We did that in the hotel room, so we can do it here. Or I can sleep downstairs,'

'Hell no, you're not sleeping downstairs. Fine – we can share. It means nothing,' I agreed with her, sitting her on the end of the bed.

'Nothing.' Lucy said.

'Nothing,' I agreed with her as she stood up, grabbing hold of my arm as she started to sway. She looked up at her, her eyes shining blue from the tears as she went on tiptoes to kiss me again. It was a lot less passionate than in the car, but it still was brilliant.

'Thank you, Jason, for everything,' she muttered to me as I smiled down at her, brushing her long brown hair behind her shoulders.

'Anything for you,' I mumbled unsure if she could hear me but I meant every word of it. Suddenly, she was the only priority to me.


	23. Chapter 22 - Jason

**Chapter 21 – Jason**

It must have just turned half four as the sun had started to rise causing the room to go bright red. I knew this as it was the time I had to get up some mornings to go to work if I start at six. But this morning, I had woken up to the incredibly soft breathing of the beautiful girl who was in my arms. I frowned slightly, knowing that I didn't pull and Ella-and-Joe and was still in my pyjamas. I had gone to bed soon after Lucy, only staying up to make sure she didn't have any more tears before she drifted off. I don't know what had happened in the night, but Lucy was laying on one of my arms, her small hands on my wrist as I spooned her.

I propped myself up slightly, taking a moment to look at the girl in my arms. There were a few days between our births so in theory we could be Soulfinder's – but I had no idea how to go about it. I didn't know how to speak telepathically. I had only known I was a Savant for about three months but I hated asking people how to do things. I was just coming around on how to use my main gift; which appeared to be healing. I could cure headaches, broken bones and even learnt how to heal up cuts on others but apart from that I was in the dark still. However, as I focused on Lucy in my arms, I noticed she started to go partly invisible as she slept; every time she breathes she disappeared slightly, before reappearing. She was so powerful. She was so beautiful – I corrected myself, gently pushing some of her hair out of her face and kissing her cheek.

Slowly, I eased my arm out from under Lucy's head, shaking off the pins and needles but I couldn't take my eyes off her. There was such a contrast between what she was like when she was awake, and how almost angelic she sleeps. I edged out of bed, unplugging my phone from where it was on charge and crept into the hallway, closing the door behind me slowly.

Checking my phone, I saw two texts from Ella and before even reading them I called her.

'Bloody Hell, why are you up this time?' She asked.

'I have no idea – what's your excuse?'

'Lily kept having bad dreams, I've given up going back to sleep. Do you want to know the good news or the bad news?' She asked, and I heard china clink against something so my best guess was she was down in the kitchen.

'Er –both,'

'Alrighty then. Isaac – your Dad – text me again last night, asking if you want to meet up with him today – Lily, me and Joe will all be there and I guess so will Lucy if you don't want to leave her alone which is completely understandable. I should also mention, I agreed on your behalf because otherwise you'd keep putting it off,' Ella explained and I heard someone else come down into the kitchen who then mumbled something to Ella, she replied back a whispered reply holding the phone away.

'Why? That's totally not fair.'

'You wanted to track your family – you'd otherwise be like "oh no i'm too busy gardening" or whatever bullshit excuse you'd come up with. We agreed at the little cafe near Joe's parents work, where you did work experience, at half one.'

'Okay what's the good news?' I asked, rubbing a coffee ring off the worktop with my finger, looking out the window at the sun rising.

'Ah – that was the good news, the bad news was I told Joe and he's – er – he's temperamental with it,' Ella said and I heard Joe protest in the background. 'He said he's just confused but we both know that's bullshit,' Ella joked around and yet more grumbles in the background. 'Hang on, i'll pass him over,'

'Fuck off are you Ella's cousin,' Joe said, laughing slightly but I knew that was the most cooperative that Joe is this early in the morning.

'I still don't believe it. What's wrong with Lily?'

'Er she just keeps waking up crying saying she's having dreams about "bad men" taking us, but we don't quite know what she's on about. It's better for us just to stay up now. Ella's not feeling too good either,' Joe explained.

'What's wrong with Ella, then?'

'Oh, just morning sickness but she just feels crap because of it,'

'Hang on, hang on.' I said, laughing slightly but realised the consequences of what Joe was saying. 'Ella's pregnant again?'

'You say "again" like she's always pregnant – last time I checked it was three years ago.' Joe laughed under his breath.

'You know what I mean! Congratulations. Am I allowed to say that to Ella or were you not meant to mention it to anyone for a while?'

'Er – don't mention it to Ella just yet. We're meant to wait until the twelve week scan which is in – er – ten weeks time or so.'

'Caught this one early?' I said, pausing as I heard movement upstairs but there was no sound to compliment it, so I assumed Lucy had just rolled over.

'Making up for the last time,' Joe joked around. 'How's Lucy doing?'

'She's still asleep – but last night she wouldn't stop crying. Her friend said that I was the one murdering all these people which just upset her more. Oh and we kissed a bit and woke up spooning but we didn't have a one night stand like you and Ella...'

'Haha. When was she born?'Joe asked and I could have sworn I heard Ella throw up in the background but Joe didn't react at all. Bless her.

'Thirteen days after me,'

'Soulfinder?'

'Potentially – I don't know how these things work do I? Last time I brought it up to you, I swear that you locked me up in the Cube and tried to knock me out,' I brought up and he cleared his throat.

'That wasn't me – I don't know how many times to apologise -' Joe started up the spiel again and I laughed slightly. I knew full well that Joe wouldn't do that to me, and he wouldn't put Ella through that either. I didn't understand the whole Soulfinder bond, but Ella meant everything to Joe and he would put himself at risk to make sure he was okay. Lily was also his main priority, joint with Ella, and he would never do anything to upset the toddler. Lily wasn't spoilt, but doted on. They put their kid first and Joe would never upset Lily. It was clear in hindsight that Joe was under some form of duress when he was made to do those things to us. Yell at Lily, hurt Ella and lock me up.

'I was only joking, love,'

'Ooh, love,' Joe joked back. 'Er, I might have to call you back in a second, Ella hasn't come back downstairs yet,' He said all serious again.

'Make sure she's alright,'

'Will do. Talk in a sec,' and with that he hung the phone up.

I sighed, throwing my phone onto the work top as I boiled the kettle, bringing down two cups onto the worktop. Honestly, I felt... scared? Was it because of the potential bloom of a relationship with easily the most beautiful person who had crossed my path in years or now because I had to meet my Dad who thought I was dead? Both, probably. I didn't know what to do about Lucy, she would have to call the shots with that one but I was more than willing to keep her safe at mine for however long she needed. She would never be a hassle. However – the whole meeting up with my Dad? Was that really the right choice? What could he do now – there was no way that he could just take back the twenty two or so years he had been missing in my life, but would he want to see me again? Was this just for the benefit of his niece – Ella? Or was this because he wanted to see me? He said I was once the best thing that had happened and he sounded genuine on the phone... but I was unsure. He was now married, with seven other kids. I would just bend the perfect family portrait out of shape. Would his wife hate me? I wasn't her kid; I was her husband's kid he thought died. I wasn't too sure what to do, and I wanted to talk it through with Joe. He is my best friend after all, and he would offer completely impartial advice. I might ask him to come with me.

I paused on the spot, quickly flipping off the kettle as I heard noises coming from my bedroom, where someone was moving around in the bed.

 _Jason?_ A small voice asked in my head, but I could only describe the experience as incredible; it was like learning a whole new leash of life. Whilst I had only been a Savant, or actively aware I was, for a few weeks, and never had a telepathic two-sided conversation with anyone, I knew in that second Lucy was my Soulfinder, and my insides melted.


	24. Chapter 23 - Lucy

Chapter 23 – Lucy

I woke up from a dreamless slumber feeling, well to phrase it in a cliché way, refreshed and happy. I frowned as my eyes flickered open, seeing unrecognisable decor that just confirmed I wasn't at home in my apartment in Bournemouth like I normally was, but somewhere different. Suddenly, it sunk in what Jason had done for me the night previous and how it led to me waking up in this strange bed. I had accidently split, in a rage cloud of anger, that I had been sexually abused too. It was something I never told Mara or Dixon. When we first met at university in dorms, they were asking who virgins were and who wasn't. It ended up on me, and I said I was because how would I phrase "No, I was raped when my Dad took me into his Kingdom Hell and sold me to his friends, and if I refused I was beaten to a pulp". I don't think I could, so I straight up lied. Now, they would never look at me in the same way again. I had got pissed off with Matthew for accusing Jason of the murders that were happening within the Savant community, and stormed out. The only person I trusted enough to call was Jason, and he went above and beyond. I didn't know what I expected, but I never expected Jason to drop what he was doing, drive all the way to Bournemouth to pick me up, before driving back and giving up his bed so I could sleep.

'Jason?' I whispered after surveying the lamp on the bedside cabinet, and my phone plugged in to charge. The clock, flushed against the wall, showed it had just past six in the morning. I rolled over, and his side of the bed was empty, the duvet pulled back out but his phone had gone too. Had he gone downstairs to sleep? I decided the best way to find out where he is would be telepathically.

 _Jason,_ I asked him telepathically, my mouth dropping slightly.

 _Hey, love,_ Jason replied to me immediately as I grinned, hiding my face under the duvet. It felt incredible; all the barriers I once held against my brain, the ones suggesting there could be something between us blown away into small fragments. Everything that I thought would happen in the future dropped, my past almost seemed irrelevant as I realise what this meant. Jason was my Soulfinder, my other half. To say I was over the moon was an understatement.

 _Wait... you're my Soulfinder?_

 _Er... I guess so. Give me a second,_ Jason said, and I could feel him smiling where ever he was at the given moment. I jumped out of bed, realising I was in a pair of shorts and a thin vest top – my interpretation of pyjamas I brought from Primark and only vaguely remembering getting changed into. I hid behind the door as Jason jogged up the stairs, gently knocking before opening the door.

'Lucy?' He asked, walking into the room as he realised the bed was empty. 'Lucy?' He asked again, and I came up behind him, focusing on keeping my little perspective shield around me. He turned around, scanning his room but not seeing me anywhere. His eyes lingered slightly longer on me, but moved away as he couldn't see me.

I wrapped my arms around his sides, linking them together at the front as I rested my head against his back. He jumped slightly.

'I still can't see you,' He said, touching my arm out of blind sense.

I shook my head, breaking the shield as Jason laughed under his breath.

'Hello, Soulfinder,' He whispered to me, swinging me around so I was in front of him. He gently brushed my hair from my face, running this thumb along my cheek as he grinned down at me, his eyes melting. Slowly, he bent down to kiss me as I wrapped my arms around his neck, pulling him in. I felt whole when I was with him, and enjoyed every second. Not only that – whilst I had limited experience – he was an incredible kisser.

We deepened the kiss and I felt Jason pick me up in the spur of the moment heat, my legs wrapping around his waist as he held me tight, his hand under my vest top as he held me against him. Gently, I felt him lay me down on the bed as he continued to kiss me.

About half an hour later, and lacking a few items of clothing – well, all clothes, we lay in bed, both of us out of breath.

Neither of us spoke; Jason lay on his side, gently running his hand up and down the ridge of my now exposed hip bone, but never once took his eyes off my face. Now my vest top had been removed, and I don't sleep in a bra, everything was exposed but Jason never too advantage and gawped, but continued to look at me in the eye.

'We, er, should probably control ourselves a little more,' I whispered, rolling over to face him, hugging the duvet up around my breasts.

'Probably, as long as we always know our limits we should be fine, though,' Jason told me, his hand slipping from my hip when I rolled over to the small of my back. I smiled at his words.

'Are we going to give this a go?' I asked him, edging in against him. The only thing that was separating our bare bodies now was the mattress sheet. He raised his eyebrow at me, grinning as he noticed I got closer. 'Not that a go, Jesus Jason,' I laughed slightly, my head falling against his arm.

'You mean give this,' He gently held my hand. 'give this a go?' I nodded. 'Why not?' He whispered, kissing me softly. I smiled softly as he rolled me over so I was laying on top of his chest, my head against his sternum and my legs coming down to his calf muscles. 'Yeah, let's give this ago. I don't want to ever give you up again,' He mumbled.

'Again?' I asked.

'I locked myself away in this bedroom for about two weeks after the black tie event, thinking I screwed it up big time with you.' Jason confessed.

'Why? I'm nothing big,' I probed, looking up at him.

'Are you kidding? You're easily the most beautiful woman I've seen in ages, you have a heart of gold and put everyone first even though you have gone through some of the toughest crap thrown your way, and here you are still apologising for getting some help. You are everything,' Jason whispered and I blushed, hiding my face under the duvet as Jason laughed and hugged me tighter. Gently, he slapped my bum.

'Put a shirt on, let's go make breakfast,' He told me, rolling me over as he kissed me before he looked me up and down. 'I mean, shirt is optional, breakfast isn't.'

I hit him gently, laughing as I pulled the duvet up over me again as a sat up. Jason got off the bed, pulled on a pair of boxers as he wiggled his eyebrows and walked out the room.

I laid in my bed for a while, contemplating what had just happened. Were we together now? I was completely unsure on how relationships worked, if you had no idea, would we be classed as together now? Also, what was our kiss going to turn into if Jason didn't pull away? I had always been so hesitant with other boys, extremely cautious of their every move but this time that had gone out the window. I would have been happy to go the entire way with him there and then, but he was the one taking it slow. What had happened to me? I rolled over, unplugging my phone from charge as I heard pans click around downstairs.

"Call me when you wake up," was all Matthew's last text said to me. It was probably time to face the music when it comes to him. I didn't want to go home, not today, I wanted to spend the day with Jason. I wanted to get to know my Soulfinder properly and tell my anxious brain that he wouldn't hurt me, hit me or sexually abuse me. He wasn't like the other men at Kingdom. He had a heart for one. I sighed, dialling Matthew.

'Lucy, thank God you're okay. Look I'm really not happy with you being around Jason, you barely know the bloke,' Matthew didn't even wait for me to speak to start his rant.

'I don't care if you don't like him, Matthew,' I sighed, rubbing my forehead.

'How do you know he won't hurt you?'

'I trust him, that's why.'

'Come back down to Bournemouth tonight, we'll talk it through then properly,' Matthew said, and I could tell he was getting annoyed at me.

'No, hang on, you can't go around assuming everyone on the Net is bad and is a murderer!' I protested and I heard Matthew exhale in frustration on the other side. 'Jason is not like that and yes I've only had a few conversations with him but he wouldn't do that to me. He drove all the way to Bournemouth, dropped everything he was doing in seconds to come pick me up because I was upset. He was completely willing to come down just for an hour to make sure I was safe. I don't see you doing that,' I argued with him.

'I knew you needed time to calm down,'

'I didn't, Matthew, I needed someone to talk too, to understand my anger and he was the only one who took those steps.'

'Why are you talking about him like he's some kind of saint? You don't know what he's capable of,'

'No, I don't. But he's my Soulfinder.' I whispered.

'He's your Soulfinder? How long have you known this?' Matthew asked in shock.

'About twenty minutes or so, but he would never do that, Matthew, he just wouldn't. Leave him out of this, you know he has nothing to do with the reason you are flipping out. You're just paranoid something will happen to me,' I figured out and he sighed.

'You're right; I can't let anything happen to you Luce. I've seen you completely broken and I can't ever stand to see you like that again. Fine – I trust this Jason lad as far as I can throw him, but if you're so sure he'll treat you right, I'll let you get back to him. But if you need me for any reason, call, okay?' He confessed and I took it, knowing that will probably be the most I'd get out of him in terms of an apology or an explanation.

'Okay,' I whispered back.

'See you later,' He said.

'Maybe,' and I hung up.

Sighing, I hugged myself a bit tighter. I knew vaguely what situation I'm in now; Jason, my innocent Soulfinder who hadn't even thought about murdering anyone at all, who's heart of gold led him to picking me up miles away on the South coast to drive me back up again, he would just be another asset in this debate. Matthew, however, hated him before he had even met. Why? I didn't know what to do; I didn't want to loose Matthew but I didn't want to loose Jason either.

'Love, you coming down?' Jason called me from the top of the stairs and I jumped.

'Er, yeah, give me a second,' I called back down, sitting up in the bed revealing I had no clothes on, the majority of them were now piled up on the floor where Jason and I had removed them. Like I said, we were very nearly going to go the whole way, but he stopped not wanting to push it. I got up quickly, typing my hair up in a simple pony tail before grabbing one of Jason's shirts from the folded pile on the floor. I pulled it over myself, running my hand along the seam to make sure it wasn't revealing anything before jogging down the stairs. Jason's flat was simplistic but more than enough for just him. A decent size lounge, TV turned on but was muted, and a kitchen penned in on the back right hand side. I came around the corner, crossing my arms hesistating as he was making something.

'What did you want for breakfast, I mean I have any – wow,' He turned around, his mouth dropping as he noticed me in just his shirt.

'Sorry, I'll – er – go put clothes on,' I whispered, embarrassed. I went to turn away, scanning the room trying to find my Primark bag. Jason came up behind me, wrapping both hands around my waist and swaying slightly.

'No, it's fine. You're wearing more clothes than I am at the moment,' He whispered, kissing just under my ear. 'As long as you're comfortable, I don't care. You could be naked, or in a ski suit. Either way, if you're okay with it so am I,' He said. 'Food?'

'I'll just have cereal,' I mumbled, smiling at him as he let go of me, spinning me around in the process.

'Here I am, making eggy bread for you,' He winked.

'What's eggy bread?'

'You've never had eggy bread?' He asked me in shock, gently rubbing my thigh. 'God, where have you been living?'

'Haha – do you mean the abusive place or my flat?' I tried to joke but it came out sounding bitter. Jason came over to me, bending down to plant a kiss on my lips before picking me up, sitting me on the side next to the oven.

'Lucy –'

'I know you were joking, so was I,' I said, smiling down at me. 'What is this eggy bread you speak of?'

'It's like fried egg on fried bread,'

'So... French toast?'

'Sure, apart from less sweet stuff and no sugar after. I mean, sugar and egg together, what even is that?' He joked, whisking and egg in the bowl and I watched on.

'Isn't that how you make cakes?' I asked him and he paused for a moment, before grinning.

'Stop being so logical,' He laughed slightly and I felt my heart flutter. I realised in that split second I was more than content with doing this every day, more than content to stay with Jason for the rest of my life. He was a part of me now. Everything I had wanted and craved or in a relationship he had achieved and it had been less than twelve hours.

'So what are we doing today?' I asked Jason as he dunked a piece of bread in the milky egg mixture before putting it in the pan.

'I have to go and meet my Dad for the first time, you can totally come along if you want too or stay here, I trust you either way. And from there, dunno. I'll take you to Windsor, maybe, we can find some ducks to feed.' He said softly and I smiled. How did he know I still, even though I was no longer a kid, loved to feed the ducks and go for walks?

'I'll go with you, you were there for me when I needed it, so I'll be there for you.' I whispered and he smiled, dropping the spatula in the pan as he came over and hugged me, biting my lip as he kissed me.

'You're perfect, you know that,' He said softly holding me tight. 'And then feeding ducks?'

'Feeding ducks,' I nodded, laughing.


	25. Chapter 24 - Jason

**Chapter 24 – Jason**

I hovered by the front door, having noticed Ella's car pull up out the front. Even though she had a key to my place, I was way to twitchy at the moment to sit still. Even Lucy had noticed it and had tried to calm me down but, despite her best attempts, it did nothing. I waited impatiently, wondering how long it took for them three to come out of the car, and come down the small hill which was paved to my house. It was relatively slippery, having rained during the night, but now it didn't seem too bad. The sun had come out, warming the damp paths and causing a small amount of steam to rise, and it was increasing in heat rapidly. Even so, it wouldn't take too long to get Lily out of her car seat, and walk down that path. I rubbed my foot with my other foot, as Lucy was sitting in the corner of the sofa looking at me over the top.

'You're on edge,' Lucy said to be gently from behind the sofa; keeping a key eye on me but also at the window she was near. I knew she hated meeting new people, and I felt incredibly bad for trapping her in this situation.

'Yeah, I'm terrified,' I said, tapping my foot.

'You're terrified of meeting your Dad?' She asked me, raising an eyebrow.

'Yeah. I wanted to meet him for ages, to know where I came from. What if he isn't anything important and decides he doesn't want to know me. Then I'll have no family at all, really.' I confessed, looking at her and feeling incredibly bad. She had no family, either. Her mum was dead from her father's abuse, and her father and brother were still out there, not in jail and probably beating people up still.

'If he doesn't want to know you, we can be each other's family. We don't need anyone else, it can just be me and you... right?' Lucy whispered, hunching down into the sofa a bit further as I guessed one of our guest had got out the car. I heard Lucy talking to someone on the phone earlier before I went to call up to her, but I had no idea who. But the way she was speaking, it made it seem like she had cut off all previous friends – including the Matthew bloke who thinks I'm a mass murderer because I'm apparently on the Net. Which is bullshit – I'm not anywhere on the Net yet. I haven't had a chance to sign the paperwork (or even read this paperwork) but still.

'Of course it can, love, just me and you.' I bent down to kiss the top of my head as I heard the signature crunch of the gravel by the front door. Quickly I opened the door, revealing Ella in a pair of denim shorts and a vest top with her Nike running shoes on. She had her keys in her hand where she must have been preparing to unlock the door. Normally, when her and Joe come around, I just wait for them to unlock the door themselves. Ella seemed slightly bemused by the waitering I was doing.

'Alright, cos?' Ella said, walking into my house and kicking off her shoes.

'Where's your entourage?' I asked her, not being able to see Lucy. So she had either gone invisible, or had ducked down behind the sofa even further. Or both.

'Do you mean Lily and Joe? They're just coming.' Ella laughed slightly, coming in a bit further to make way. She raised her eyebrow at me and I nodded to the sofa and she gave me a vague nod before closing her eyes, using her gift of projection to double check the sofa. When she came back she pulled a funny face and I raised my eyebrow. I'm guessing she was invisible then. God, what an incredible gift.

'Uncle Jason!' Lily ran in from nowhere and started tugging at my Levi's. I bent down and picked her up, spinning her around as she laughed, her chubby little arms wrapped around my neck gently and the sound of her innocent laughter was almost a glittering of gold dust. She was the most precious thing known to man.

'Hey, Lils, what sweets we got today then?' I asked, laughing at the look Ella gave me.

'You're not meant to be encouraging her, Jason.' Ella lectured me as Lily squirmed slightly, so I put her down on the floor. Ella and I watched Lily as she ran around the other side of the sofa, jumping up and launched herself towards Lucy.

'Lily!' I went to interrupt but heard Lucy's laughter.

'Princess!' Lily laughed, hugging her. Lucy suddenly appeared out of nowhere sitting up straight, awkwardly hugging the girl as if she didn't quite know what to do or if it was okay for her to hug the toddler. She looked over towards Ella, and Ella smiled softly at her and nodded, and Lucy hugged her properly. Huh – is that how females talk? Through minuscule body language? Interesting.

'Sup,' Joe came into my house, closing the door behind him and was already laughing at what Lily had managed to do within the first thirty seconds of her entering that door. Incredible.

 _You okay with Lily? Do you want me to get her to move?_ I asked Lucy gently, fully aware that Ella was probably eavesdropping in.

 _No, she's absolutely fine, thanks. How old is she again?_

 _Nearly three._ I answered back as Lily sat next to Lucy, and she smiled at her.

'Can I read you my book,' Lily asked and Lucy nodded timidly. I guess she wasn't used to having kids around – the exact same way I wasn't used to having kids around before Lily was born.

I lived in a world where none of my friends had kids, no one was engaged, we all had other commitments such as jobs, but no one wanted a family. Joe just had to go and change all of that. Admittedly, I stayed friends with everyone from university and our sixth form college school a lot more than he did. Everyone we were friends with from about fourteen through eighteen I still regularly chatted with and we all had a group chat. Joe was included, but I think he's got the chat on permanent mute. All my friends from university dorms or student houses still kept in touch – most had jobs within their degree field and wanted to get experience before a relationship. My other friends from sixth form had jobs as receptionists or bar work or working the summer in Magaluf or whatever. So, there was no kids or wedding rings to be seen. That was until Joe came back from Cornwall with every intention to propose to Ella, his Soulfinder, who was already pregnant with his child.

Our friends from Sixth Form didn't take it too well. They told him he was stupid for settling down at the age of twenty one and was chucking his life away having a child. Joe immediately stuck up for Ella and unborn Lily, and there was a massive argument and I of course sided with Joe. I could see where all the guys were coming from, though, but I knew the added extra's to the story as well. I knew Ella and Joe would never break up, and I saw exactly what they're like together. I knew they were capable of raising a kid perfectly, and they went to prove that. When I visited them a few weeks ago, before I had met Lucy, we took her up to the park to get her energy out, and when Joe was giving Lily a lift, with her sitting on his shoulders clutching dinosaur, and his arm around Ella's shoulder, we just happened to bump straight into the group of friends we had barely spoken too in a few years. There was small talk, but I noticed everyone was looking at Ella and Lily, some with fascination, others with confusion, and one or two with disgust. One particular comment, a side note between two friends left out of the conversation, asked how Joe managed to get someone so hot. Even I had to admit the first time I saw Ella I was amazed at how pretty she was. It was the same effect Lucy had on me, but I had to admit Lucy was just gorgeous. Completely out my league. That night of Whatsapp, everyone apologised to Joe for accusing him of being easy and of being a crap Dad, and whilst he accepted it he was not happy with their behaviour. More and more, I understood why Joe was so annoyed at them for such a long time – because if anyone hurt Lucy now, or threatened too, I would never forgive them.

Even so, when Lily was born I was completely confused about how to even deal with them. Like, they cry a lot and make some foul smelling things and they never seem happy. I of course saw Lily in hospital twice, and then a few days after they brought her home when Ella's family stopped bombarding them. Ella had gone out for a while with Michael leaving Joe and I with the baby. I asked him how he knew what to do and he said he just picked it up, and went to have a shower when Lily was asleep. But the second the shower turned on, Lily started crying. I was bloody useless, but I got there. I learnt myself how to heat the milk properly and how to test the temperature, how to burp a baby and how to change them and quite frankly, I nailed it. Lily was in a weird way my niece now, and the amount of times I've seen her. It was easily four times a week. I knew how to deal with her, how to calm her down and wind her up – Lucy had no idea though. She turned around again to look at us and I nodded at her, smiling slightly.

'Er, okay then.' Lucy said softly, clearing her throat. Lily bounced off the settee and ran to her Frozen backpack, opening the zip and pulling out one of her Disney collection books I brought for her a few months ago – mainly to keep her calm when I was babysitting her. She quickly looked in my fish tank.

'Jason,'

'Yeah, Lils?' I asked, walking over to her and crouching down so I was the same height as her.

'You only have three fishes,' She whispered, pointing to the three fish that were swimming around the tank.

'Nope, there's four, bubbles is in his rock again. Can you see him?' I asked, gesturing to the rock at the bottom of the tank. She knelt down before nodding violent and hugging me tight. I frowned at her slightly, as she went to whisper something to me.

'Is Lucy your princess?' She asked as she hugged me.

'Yeah,' I replied softly and she ran away again to the settee. I turned around to see Lucy, Ella and Joe all looking at me; admiration in Lucy's eyes and a slight baffled look in the others.

'Jason,' Joe said, nodding to upstairs. I nodded – knowing that he wanted to speak to privately but Ella headed upstairs. I guessed the two of them were speaking telepathically about me, or maybe Lucy. Joe followed Ella upstairs and I heard both of them walk into the bedroom.

'I just need to talk to them two about something, will you be okay with Lily for a moment?' I asked Lucy, kneeling by the arm of the settee playing with her brown hair. It went bloody everywhere, but I loved it.

'Er, yeah, you'll just be upstairs yeah?' She asked as Lily curled up next to her slightly.

'Yup, call me and I'll be straight down,' I mumbled to her, kissing her cheek slightly.

'Okay, yeah, I can do that,' She mumbled to herself, leaning forward to kiss me again.

'Cooties,' we both heard Lily mumble, opening her book and sitting with it open on her lap. I laughed slightly, ruffling Lily's hair as Lucy just looked baffled.

Quickly I ran up the stairs to find Ella and Joe together. They were embracing in each other's arms, but the second I came into the room they let go, so only Joe's hand was around Ella's waist. They looked at me for a second, with joint raised eyebrows, as if they were waiting for me to say something to them. I hovered slightly awkwardly – what did they want me to say?

'Your Soulfinder seems nice,' Ella said after a minute or two's complete silence and Joe looked down at her slighty confused. I had assumed both of them would know by now – they're intuition levels is incredibly high – and would have discussed it. I could only assume that look was from Ella being so blunt, and not the shock of the announcement.

'Er, yeah, she is,' I said, closing the door.

'Told you,' Ella said to Joe and he shrugged, kissing the top of her head.

'You didn't tell us,' Joe said and I shrugged.

'I only found out like... four hours ago. You told me three weeks after, you can't play that trick!' I protested, quickly picking up Lucy's bra she left on the floor and tried to hide it in one swift movement under the bed. Thankfully, Joe took that moment to look out the window, but Ella saw what I was doing and raised an eyebrow at me, grinning like the Cheshire cat. 'It's not what you think,' I told her and she nodded, but she didn't believe me.

'You ready to meet your Dad?'

'I'm shitting it,' I owned up.

'It's fair enough though, mate, you have no idea who this blokey is and you thought he was a dick enough to leave you when you were a few days old. You were never to know that it was your Mum that was the dick, and lied.' Joe explained, rubbing Ella's shoulders as she nodded.

'Isaac called me before we left, and he's just as scared. He really does want to know you. You were his first kid and he thought you died. I think he's crapping it more than you are,' Ella added.

'Which is edging on impossible,' Joe furthered and I rolled my eyes.

'No, what we're saying Jason is it may be weird and uncomfortable and awkward at first, but you both wanted to know each other for so long, you'll both figure something out,' Ella concluded and smiled up at Joe.

'He's already got a family, though,'

'He's told Marsha, his wife, about you and she seemed tentative at first but when she realised it was me who found it out told him to go for it. She said you're welcome into their family if that is what you both want, but they haven't told their kids yet. Only the older three would be able to understand it properly, the others are slightly to young.' Ella explained to me and I sat down on the bed, the reality suddenly hitting me. This was actually going to happen. I didn't miss the silent exchange between Ella and Joe before they both came to sit next to me.

'Yeah, it will happen, but isn't this what you wanted?' Joe asked from my right.

'Joe,' Ella said lowly. 'You don't have to go if you don't want too though,' Ella added on my left.

'Yeah but you won't get the same opportunity again. If you wanted to see him after you cancelled this time imagine how crap that'd look,' Joe added.

'However, he might understand. It's a normal reaction to be scared; this is a massive step,'

'Good point, love, but you too can make a massive step back to bed if you're that much of a wuss,' Joe commented from my left and I rolled my eyes.

'Right, I know full well you two are doing good cop bad cop and I see exactly how you get criminals to literally hand over the information you need. Fine, I'll go.' I said, getting up again realising I hadn't heard anyone talk downstairs at all, and I wondered if Lucy was okay with the toddler, but I turned around in time to see Joe and Ella high five. That was there plan all along; to make me willingly go to meet my Dad.


	26. Chapter 25 - Lucy

**Chapter 25 – Lucy**

'I'm not too sure who I'm babysitting now,' Joe said quietly to me and I smiled slightly. We had arrived at the cafe, where Jason was set to meet his Dad for the first time, twenty minutes earlier. We wanted Jason to have some private time in order to talk things through with his Dad, but he wanted Ella to be there to be an ice breaker, so Joe decided to get a table for the three of us. We were sitting on a table of four diagonal from the table that sat Ella and Jason, and they had not stopped talking in hushed whispered to each other. I had sat next to Lily, the wall to one side, and Joe sitting opposite me. To try and get the toddler to calm down, he gave her a colouring book and a pack of forty eight pencils and just let her to colour. I was watching over Lily, amazed at how good her hand eye coordination was. Lily then offered me a page from the book, already ripping it out and pushing it over to me. I had protested but the three year old pushed me to colour, handing me a pencil. And strangely enough, I had enjoyed it.

'Adult colouring books – are they a thing?' I asked Joe and he nodded.

'Yup, quite a big thing as well. I got Ella some the other day to keep her quite.' Joe said back to me and I laughed.

'Are they like – this level?' I asked him, showing him the elephant I was colouring in and adding slightly too much shading for what is a colouring book for 2-6 year olds.

'A bit more intricate – the one Ella has is one of the Joanna Basford ones, she's an artist, and it's like a story through forests and into an enchanted castle to fight the dragon but there's no words, just a book full of pictures to colour. I didn't think it was possible to lose my fiancée for eight hours straight. I thought she was at work until I went into the dining room and saw her colouring. I'm getting increasingly concerned that I'll be the one planning the rest of our wedding,' Joe joked about and I felt easy around him. The love that he had for his daughter and his Soulfinder was just incredible. I didn't miss the looks he kept giving Ella across the room and I knew if Jason and I ever had a relationship even remotely like theirs it would be like finding water in the oasis of my dry life.

'How long have you two been together?'

'About three and a bit years now, just before this little one was born,' He told me, nodding to Lily.

'You decided to have a kid that early? I asked, dropping down my pencil.

'No, she was, you know,' Joe said and I nodded. She was an accident. 'Ella and I aren't the most responsible people when drunk and that night we pushed past any previous drinking records we had. Ella went back to Colorado, her home town, for four or so months, and when she came back down again there was a massive terrorist threat with personals against us both. We went down to Cornwall to be safe, found said terrorists and er – they might have accidently died, but hey, and whilst we were down there she had this incredibly bad bleed so I took her to hospital just in case and they found out she was about fifteen weeks pregnant. When everything was good again, we moved in together, I asked her to marry me and thankfully said yes, and a few months later Lily was born. Neither of us had regretted a minute of it,' Joe explained and I looked at him. That was a hell of a story.

'You seem like a nice guy, Joe.' I said to him, and he frowned.

'This makes it seem like you're going to run out of the door?' He said, turning slightly so he could catch me if I did.

'No, I was just going to ask you something. I know you removed the emotions of my abuse, but does that make me any less of a person?'

'What do you mean?' Joe asked.

'That I wussed out and wanted me not to remember? Does that make me pathetic?' I asked Joe, putting it bluntly as he frowned and sat back.

'I see. No, it doesn't make you any less of a person, or pathetic. The way that I see it was the abuse was holding you back from being able to move on. It was clearly limiting you to what you could do; you always had nosebleeds and bad dreams – right? So it wasn't only mental and psychological pain it was causing, medially it was harmful to you too. And that was only what Jason saw in about eight hours. So removing all the emotions simply allowed you to move on, it didn't make you any less of a valid person,' Joe explained and I smiled thankfully at him. He smiled back, before grinning at Lily who had started to eavesdrop, and the girl went back to colouring.

'I don't know what to do,' I said, counting Joe as a friend now.

'About what?'

'I assume Jason has filled you in with everything?' I asked and he nodded. 'I don't want to lose my friend, but I don't want to lose Jason either,'

'I can't speak for your friend, but that asswipe isn't going anywhere.' Joe said, gesturing to Jason who looked up at the exact same moment, and smiled at me slightly but it wasn't like his normal grin and seemed incredibly shy – especially for him. 'I think it's a decision you have to make by yourself but as unapproachable as he seems, he will stand by your decisions whether it's moving or going on holiday, or doing a pub crawl and getting so drunk you start break dancing in the middle of the pub at closing time... but I don't think you're like that.'

'He'd do that for me?'

'Well, he called me in last night to cover the rest of his shift to come and pick you up. He was gone from the building the second I turned up – he would do anything for you the second you said it. He adores you.' Joe told me honestly and I started to blush.

'Would you do anything for Ella?' I asked him.

'Without a doubt,' He replied back immediately and I knew it was the truth. It's the Soulfinder bond – Matthew explained it to me properly and I remember very vaguely my Mum telling me about it before she died. It's hundreds of times more powerful than a normal relationship but words can't sum it up until you experience it. But given the extremes of what Jason had done for me the recent days, I knew he was a genuine enough bloke and he would do anything. If I said I wanted to move in with him, he would let me. The only thing he would probably hesitate at if I said I wanted kids. I looked over at Lily, who was sticking her tongue out as she focused on colouring. One day, hopefully.

I looked over Joe's shoulder as I heard the door open – the cafe we were in was a very quiet and secluded place, and even the cafe owners had a long polite talk with Ella, Joe and Jason and had even found some old crayons and colouring books to give to Lily who adorably hugged them back. I could only guess the man who walked in was Jason's Dad – and I saw the resemblance straight away.

The man who walked in had a slightly timid stance, but was built like a warrior and had the same height to him as Jason did. The man must have been late fourties, his now greying hair was still prominently brown and whilst kept short, was still going up in a fluff like Jason's does. Both Ella and Jason looked over at the man, and Ella stood up. The man walked over to Ella, hugging her before his eyes landed on Jason.


	27. Chapter 26 - Lucy

**Chapter 26 – Lucy**

 **Four hours later**

We walked through Windsor great park, Jason holding onto my hand and happily swinging it between us as we continued to walk down the winding paths. We had been cooped up at the cafe for over three hours as Jason and his Dad reconciled for the years lost, which meant eventually Ella moved over to our table. I had got on well with both Ella and Joe, and I can see why Jason talks to highly of them both. However, I couldn't understand why Matthew was so against the Benedict's – one of his favourite passions to rant about. I mean, Ella and I had spoken for two or so hours as Joe sat with Lily, who had fallen asleep, on his lap and she was lovely. A bit hard to talk too at first, but it was because she was incredibly shy but once that front had worn off she was lovely. I felt slightly stupid – gullable even – for believing everything Matthew had told me through the years about the Net, and about the Benedict's, and about the "lick arses" who work at the proper Maui.

'You seem so happy,' I told Jason, looking up at him and smiling softly as he grinned down at me.

'Of course I am – I have you.' He said sweetly, letting go of my hand and hugging me to my side. 'How can anyone be upset when you're around?'

'Sweet,' I said as I tweaked his thumb but didn't believe a word he just said. He didn't know the half of it. He wouldn't be this calm and relaxed when he knew the entire story – if he would ever find out that is. 'You going to keep in touch with your Dad?'

'Er, yeah, I guess.' He said.

'I guess I have to go back tonight,' I sighed, looking down at the floor for a moment, looking at the loose tarmac under my cheap Dunlop canvas shoes that had quite a bit of wear. I had to get a new insole for my favourite shoes as the sole had thinned so much, I could feel every large stone a bit too much. I don't know why I didn't pay another £12 for another pair, but you know when you get a bit too attached to your favourite pair of shoes.

'Why do you have too?' Jason asked, pulling me to stop. I saw his Timberlands stop in front of my tatty shoes, and I realised that's exactly what we were like. Jason; who's had a good education and friends growing up, and me who was beaten to a pulp every day. Sure, it seemed farfetched example to be based on shoes, but it was true.

'I... I just don't fit in here,' I whispered.

'Luce,' Jason whispered, playing with my hand. 'I don't even understand what you mean by that.'

'Let's find some ducks to feed,' I said, wishing for something else to focus on. Jason frowned at me but let me lead the way to make me happy. I don't know what was wrong with me lately; one second I was fine and I truly believed that Jason was the one for me and it was the start of something brilliant and I was falling in love with him. Not only that, I was entirely convinced that my body was allowing Jason in, and I never froze up when he touched me and whenever he went to play with my hair, I didn't flinch away no more. But now, I could barely look him in the eye without feeling the rush of blood to my face that indicated I was embarrassed and the panic when Jason's feet were at the top of mine – not touching but incredibly close – but it was enough to send me over the edge and into panic, wanting to flee back to Bournemouth where it was socially acceptable for me to hide in my bedroom all day.

I walked quickly down to the river front, finding an unoccupied bench that I sat down on, looking out across the river front. Ducks were swimming quite happily in their little formations, their babies still noticeable from their young feathers. Jason sat next to me, sighing slightly as he opened his backpack revealing a loaf of bread he had brought with him so we could feed the ducks. I could never deserve a guy as pure and untainted as him. Never.

He pulled out a slice of bread, handing it to me as I frowned at him confused.

'Do you actually mean you've never fed ducks?' He asked me in shock.

'I was locked in a concrete tower until I was fifteen, and by the time I was ready to go into the world I was about sixteen and starting A-levels. I was too old,' I explained to him, looking at the bread slice.

'You're never too old to feed the ducks,' He whispered. 'Just crouch down on the floor and rip a small piece of the bread off,' He said softly, doing what he was saying. I mimicked him, but I must have just looked like an idiot as I immediately lost my balance and fell over onto the floor. Jason was by my side.

'You okay?'

'Yeah – ow,' I said, before noticing my elbow had a large sticky graze on it. Not one that bleeds too much but just stung. Jason frowned at it for a second, before covering it with his hand as I flinched slightly, wanting to get away from him.

'Hang on, Luce, I'm not hurting you. Quite the opposite,' He said, and the stinging sensation in my arm disappeared entirely. When he moved his hand away the graze had nearly entirely healed leaving just a red mark.

'Oh,' was all I could say as he pulled me back up to squat next to him, with his hand on the small of my back.

'You okay?'

'I guess, yeah,' I said, as he passed me back my slice of bread. I looked down towards the river, where thirty odd ducks waddled out of the water and up to where we were sitting.

'Okay, just hold out the bread for them,' He said, doing the exact same thing, and I saw as a duck took it straight from his hand. Wanting the same result, I copied him exactly and sure enough two ducks came over and took sections of the bread out. It wasn't long before Jason and I were surrounded by hungry fluff balls that were ducks, constantly being quacked at as we fed them, making sure even the small ducks had food too. I laughed as a duck took a bit of bread from my knee before looking up at Jason. He was sitting crossed legged beside me, staring at me with a certain look in his eyes. A small smile played on his lips, and his hand found my knee as the last ducks wandered off when they realised there was no food left.

'What do you mean you don't feel like you fit in?' He asked me, holding my hand and I sighed.

'You are a lovely guy, Jason, but you're so far out of my league even when it comes to the whole Savant element. You've been a good guy for your entire life and now you're high up in Maui too. I haven't always been on the good side,' I explained quickly and Jason interrupted me.

'Being held hostage for fifteen years by abusive idiots does not make you a bad person,' He said and I shrugged. 'No, it doesn't – a victim, sure, but not a bad person. You are not accountable for their actions,' he said.

'But I'm related to them, Jason, these people. You will run a mile when you hear who my Dad is. I don't want to ruin it with you, you're the only person who understands me but I'm just trying to protect you.' I explained to him as I sighed.

'Lucy, please, just tell me – I can help.' Jason asked.

'No you can't,' I simply said.

'I can try,' He said, like he wouldn't give up. He had no idea what he was getting himself into, as always.

'You'll hate me forever,'

'I could never hate you,' He said as I started to shake.

'Luman Carnes,' I whispered as Jason's face sunk into hatred.


	28. Chapter 27 - Jason

**Chapter 27 – Jason**

'I could never hate you,' I said gently to Lucy, who was tearing up and my brain was telling me she was on the edge of having a panic attack. I edged towards her slightly, not wanting to touch her in case the slight touch of someone triggers her memories of the abuse, like Ella warned it might when the individual is upset or is remembering the incidents, but I didn't want to completely leave her. I noticed Lucy starting to shake on the river verge, one lingering duck a few feet to her left staring at her with cupboard love content, and I took my jacket off ready to put her in it.

'Luman Carnes,' She whispered to me – the name of her father – and I wanted to hit something.

Luman Carnes was well known in Savant agencies, always being referred to as "the Strong Beast". He had come forward several times to Maui to confess his crimes but because of a pardon of his name, written fifteen years ago, we cannot touch him for any crimes he commits. The list of crimes against his name was huge; included several accounts of murder, manslaughter, theft, battery, treason, adultery, arson, theft and now included abuse and child grooming against my Soulfinder. But we could not touch the slimy bastard because of his pardon he was granted back in 2000. Once upon a time, he was a multi-millionaire with three successful businesses built on corruption and blackmail. His name was highlighted in every business sector but once they paid the fee for his name. However, news came out that his wife had been murdered, and he was trailed in absentia. They found him guilty of manslaughter but a few days later, when they examined the sentence they found him not guilty on any accounts and in an apology, made the Court sign a pardon of charges valid for years. So not only could he say he did all these crimes, we couldn't touch the dick because of it. He had disappeared from the business world, never doing open meetings or press cabinets, but the companies still thrive. When I joined Maui, I researched into Luman Carnes – possibly the world's worst criminal who has been trailed for all accounts in absentia, but not yet incarcerated. He confessed being behind the whole terrorist attack that got Joe and Ella evacuated to Cornwall and said his plan all along was to kill Joe and keep Ella as a sex toy.

His location was known; in the middle of Bracknell Forest, there was a large hexagonal block of concrete flats. About thirty stories high and built on a hill, it was sealed off on every entrance. Despite being in a very public area, no one enters its grounds. People have seen going into the building being escorted in by guards in all black and bulletproof vest, but no one has seen to get out. Apart from one girl, who nearly died doing so and was put immediately under heavy guards until being moved location and loosing track of her completely on all records.

I had never thought that girl would end up being my Soulfinder.

'I'm sorry, Jason, I wanted this to work, just go. I'll find my own way back to Bournemouth,' Lucy cried, curling up into a ball and my heart broke.

'Lucy, wait,' I tried to say, moving over towards her but she flinched away curling up smaller. She continued to cry hysterically.

'Jason - just leave me alone!' She shouted through her tears and I got up, entirely confused as to what I was doing. What had I done wrong? Was this all because Lucy mentioned her Dad? How could this small, cute ditzy blonde be related so strongly to that dick? How was that even possible? Her Dad – a known murderer, created Lucy. Lucy, the most timid of people I have ever met in my entire life, who sat talking to my big-balled Syrian Hamster for a large portion of time, allowing the fat thing to run up and down her arm and lay on her hand, and allowing fusses and hand fed treats, had half the genetics of the guy I did my dissertation on and classed as a psychopath. Lucy, who automatically cuddled me in her sleep, was related to a mass murderer – and a rich one at that too.

'Leave!' She shouted again and I walked off.

Hello! It's been a while since I've left a note, and it's about to kick off again and we'll end up saying goodbye to some of our favourite characters, some temporarily and some for a bit longer...

What are you thinking so far - remember to leave a review! :)


	29. Chapter 28 - Lucy

**Chapter 28 – Lucy**

I'm sure I can't be the only one who feels like this. After a good cry – one hell of an emotional outlease – when you feel so drained and exhausted, but refreshed and rejuvenated all at the same time. I sat looking across the river, feeling a good sense of calm settle across me and I felt relieved that I told Jason everything. He knows how much of a monster I am now he knows who my father is, and when I ordered him to leave, he buggered off without much of an argument.

It's amazing knowing what you genetic history can do to you.

I wasn't too sure what to do know; Jason had my phone in my pocket as my jeans weren't big enough to hold it safely, and I didn't have my purse with me. That was back at his place, too. So I would have to flag down some stranger asking to borrow their phone. Maybe I would have to make some feeble lie about how my mobile fell into the river and I needed to call my boyfriend to pick me up. Perhaps I could even ask for some loose change to get me a bus ticket to somewhere. I'd call Matthew, telling him that Jason wasn't everything he seemed and he was correct and I would have to beg him to pick me up. Then I'd have to deal with the heartbreak. I realised now that Jason had upped and left that I had fallen in love with him. It may have been over night, or it may have been from the black tie event for Maui, but I had fallen in love with him. When he just upped and left, leaving me on the bank side bawling my heart out, he took a massive chunk of my soul with him. I had wished we could have worked it out, moved in together, got married and had kids of our own but I knew what kind of bloke he was when he just upped and left.

Sighing, I tried to get up, my feet attempting to gain purchase on the slippery mud. Deciding I would have to get hold of Matthew, I would tell him to bring a ten pack of tissues and some ice cream because once the shock wears off I will be an emotional mess.

'You going to send me away again?' I heard a voice say behind me and I turned around, seeing the back of Jason leaning against the bench. He stayed, waiting with me the entire time but not connected with me. I couldn't order him to leave when I didn't know he was there. But whilst I was shocked he didn't listen, the biggest grin came over my face when I realised that whilst I might have screwed it up, and he was still there for me. I walked slowly around the side of the bench, looking up at Jason where he was looking across the park with his jaw clenched.

'Lucy – don't ever –' He went to say as I wrapped my arms around his neck and pulled him in for a kiss. He held my waist tighter, hugging me close to his chest as our lips locked together. I could tell he was smiling, and I wasn't far of grinning either as I relaxed in his arms, wanting him never to leave me again. His hand lifted up the hem of my shirt, rubbing the small of my back slightly. We only pulled away as two old ladies walked passed us tutting.

'Don't ever assume that I'm going to leave,' He whispered to me, hugging me tight.

'But –my Dad,' I mumbled back.

'Your Dad is the biggest dick known to man, yes, but you're still the most gentle, most beautiful girl I have ever seen and I'm privileged enough to call you my Soulfinder, don't try and send me away like that again.' He whispered to me, running his finger up and down my hip. 'I love you, Lucy,' He whispered, looking me dead in the eyes. His eyes had turned liquid, the brown colour now a lovely warm liquid colour, like silky hot chocolate, as he frowned slightly.

'Er, you probably shouldn't,' I said back, looking away.

'Why not?'

'Because I'm not good at being... you know,' I tried to explain, looking up at Jason as he just frowned at me. 'You know?'

'We'll work it out,' He said, holding my face gently as he kissed my forehead.

'Mmm,' I mumbled but I wasn't too sure. He claimed he loved me, though, and I grinned just thinking about it. He loved me. But how? I was a mess – I was related to a man that he knows as a mass murderer. I could swear that when I mentioned his greasy name, there was a look of pure hatred in his eyes. Even if he did love me, he would always have to doubt me wondering if I would ever take after my father. After all, even though I never knew my Mum properly and not well enough for me to remember now at the very least, it meant I was at least 50% of Luman's DNA. I was 50% Carnes, the abusive side of the family that done all kind of things to me – most I never want to mention. Blood is thicker than water. Would genetics be stronger than my will to never crumble under the thought that I could be abusive?

'Ice cream?' Jason asked, suddenly perky again. 'If we get the bus, it's not too long of a journey. There's a place in the town centre called Creams and they do incredible giant-sized desserts, basically. Waffles, ice cream sundaes, you name it. I'll pay – like a cheap first date,' Jason said softly, kissing the side of my head as he gently held my hand, swinging it between us again as we walked down the pathway.

As stupid as it seems, I had never been on a bus before. I know, call me "deprived" or whatever, but I saw there was no need. When I started living in the foster house for my A-levels, college was just a forty minute walk away and I enjoyed the freedom. The town centre was a thirty minute walk in the same direction, and the two local Tesco's were fifteen minutes and twenty minutes respectively. Some people say a forty minute walk twice a day was too much, but it gave me time to myself and when you have a chance to experience music for the first time in sixteen years, I thrived off my walks. So buses weren't a bit thing. If the route is short enough for a bus route, then it's short enough to walk. This was my logic; and the £3 that was an adults charge for buses would then be put towards my savings, or buying a bottle of water and some fruit chews. My main route of transport was trains; the fifteen minute walk to Tesco's also led onto a train station, which linked me to the main city and London too. When I moved down to Bournemouth, once again I did so through trains. And now, when completely isolated in Bournemouth everything was within a twenty minute walk, so I was more than content to do the walking. So buses were a new thing for me. I hovered awkwardly behind Jason as he got our tickets, handing over the money, before leading me towards the seats at the back. A family of four; three young girls and a Mum sat in the five seater sofa at the back, so we went for a two seater a few rows forward, and Jason let me sit by the window. I complied happily, before looking around for a seatbelt.

 _There are normally no seatbelts on buses,_ Jason whispered to me telepathically, looking at me slightly amused.

 _No seatbelt? Dangerous!_

 _Buses aren't known for their speed, though, Luce._ He gently told me telepathically, holding my hand again. _Look, I'll be your seatbelt. Hold on,_

I grabbed hold of his hand, and looked up at him as he grinned at me, kissing the side of my head. We travelled along the bus route for a while, going through Windsor town, past the castle. My mouth dropped as the castle came out of literally nowhere. One second, we were going through a small town with white buildings and black diagonal beams before we broke through over a hill cress, to the right was Windsor Castle – however there was no flag so the Queen wasn't home. To the right was a row of shops. Some traditional merchandise shops were set among Starbucks. It was incredible that Jason lived among this. We waited at a red light for a while before following the road, passing the closer end of Windsor Park, some dinghy rentals as the park followed around.

 _Jason,_ I whispered softy and he frowned at me. I sighed as I realised I contacted him in a slight moment of awe as it settled in my mind that I was falling in love with him. I know it was too soon, and even with the issues with commitment, but I knew what was happening. I knew I was falling in love with him.

 _What's up, beautiful?_

I tried to form the words that were resting on my mind, to tell him how I feel but instead my eyes settled next to his head at the headlights from another car – more of a large van – coming towards the bus. Jason didn't even have time to frown at me, wondering why my face dropped, before the rubbish truck smashed straight into the side of the bus, a few seats in front of us.

The bus we were on immediately rolled over on its side, the asphalt of the road cutting my arm as the cries of those on the bus filled the stagnant air as the buzz of tourism outside fell silent. Another roll, and everyone fell onto the roof, the "thud" of thirty odd hitting the roof rang around my ears as I curled up, trying to find Jason.

"Look I'll be your seatbelt," Jason's flirty words whispered to me only five minutes previously, and I could still feel his hand gripping mine even now as the bus skidded on the roof to a stop. The noise of metal against asphalt overpowered all the other sounds.

Silence fell too quickly, and my body was absorbed by blackness.

'Lucy,' I heard Jason mumble behind me (or was it thousands of miles away?) but it was too late – I was out.


	30. Chapter 29 - Lucy

Chapter 29 - Lucy

My brain could wander several thousand miles before the time my body was ready for the day. I had always felt this way after a good night sleep; I woke up wondering some of the deepest and meaningful things that life could offer. However, today, my brain was thinking about the more useless things. I knew something big had happened, but my mind wouldn't allow comprehending what had happened. My mind turned to what it must be like to have children, not a common topic. One rarely thought of, really. I wasn't too sure why my unconscious brain had picked that branch to dwell on, but it did it anyway. I never wanted kids – I always viewed them as too much commitment and not something I wanted to do. That, and I never wanted to hurt my kids. I knew I wouldn't ever, but I never wanted to risk it.

But, suddenly, my brain wanted to discuss children. Just to imagine one second, being in labour to holding your baby, that you had already held inside you for three quarters of a year, must be such a magical moment that no one could ever explain. Holding _your_ child. That was something I want. I never thought I would want a future that would include that, but somehow I do now. I suspected it was because of Jason. I had seen how good he was with Lily, and Joe showed me some pictures and videos of Jason when Lily was born. I was amazed at how small Lily was when she was born, and one picture that stuck in my head was one when Lily was a few days old. Joe had told me she was just under a week, and he asked Jason to look after Lily for about fifteen minutes if that just so they could quickly go to the shops to pick up a click and collect from a local shop of baby grow's especially for premature babies. Lily was five and a bit weeks early, but Savant babies reach full development quicker than normal babies so she was completely fine, it just meant she won't be able to use her Savant gift for slightly longer depending on how strong she was Savant wise. However, looking at her parents, Lily would be an extremely strong Savant, so I don't think it would overly matter. But when Ella and Joe came back from the shop, with Lily's new baby grows that would hopefully bit a bit better (the newborn baby grows were massive, hanging off her) Jason was sitting down with Lily, gently talking to her. Jason never noticed them come back and Joe took the picture which he showed me and it melted my heart.

I wanted a baby – that was an odd sentence for me to be saying. I don't think Jason would ever agree either for a while.

'Lucy?' I heard someone ask me, and I frowned. 'Lucy, can you hear me?'

'I'm in California dreaming of the...' I mumbled. 'Hello from the other side,' I whispered, frowning.

'Stop singing Adele,' Jason laughed beside me and I opened my eyes and he brushed my hair out of the way. 'How are you feeling? Can you move your left leg?' He asked me, his brown hair going every which direction, a large cut across his forehead which had a few stitched across it. He had a large bandage across his upper arm and was in a wheelchair. I frowned at him before moving my leg slightly and which it killed my thigh but it still moved.

'What happened to you?'

'The exact same bus crash you were in,' Jason whispered. 'You were under light because you had some metal bits in the top of your leg so you've woken up a bit later than expected. But you're fine,' He came up to me, kissing my cheek. 'You were muttering something about kids, too,' He said and I suddenly got really embarrassed.

'What happened? Tell me,' I asked him and he frowned, adjusting how he was in his wheelchair.

'Well, the driver of the bin truck lost consciousness, smacked into the bus opposite and up a few seats, rolled the bus over. No one had died, the bin truck driver's been arrested, injuries range from people being impaled by scrap metal, cuts, broken bones.' He explained gripping my hand. 'We'll be fine, though, and I will wait on your hand and foot when we get home,' Jason explained.

'What happened to you – you look awful,' I muttered, rolling over to look at him.

'I won't take offence beautiful,' He said, grinning back at me. 'I just had glass in my leg, I'm still waiting on being discharge then I can come and stay with you until you're safe,' He said.

'I love you,' I whispered to him and he frowned at me.

'You've never said that before,' He said softly, moving forward slightly so he could sit a bit closer to me. He ran his hand over my hair.

'I know, but I do.' I said and he smiled so incredibly softly. 'Please don't leave me,' I mumbled again and he moved forward and kissed me, grinning the entire time. A few minutes later, he broke away from the kiss with a gentle bite of my lip.

'I love you too,' He replied, holding my hand. 'I love you too, Soulfinder, that's still too weird to say,' He whispered to me, gently holding my hand.

'Mr. Browne,' A young nurse came around the corner, smiling at us both. 'Oh, sorry love, I didn't realise you were awake. I'll get your nurse to come and talk to you. Jason, we just need to borrow you for ten minutes for your last few checkups so we can discharge you,' The nurse told Jason and he nodded.

'I'll be back soon, okay love,' He said to me, leaning in a bit closer. 'I love you, if you need to call me telepathically. When I'm back, we're talking through what you said in your sleep about wanting kids. Just a spoiler, whatever you want to do with us, I'm there for it, alright?' He whispered so quiet that only I could hear before kissing me softly.

'Let's go,' Jason said, getting up and walking out of the room.

'Mr. Browne, get your wheelchair. We have been over this,' The nurse tutted and Jason moaned, walking straight back into the room and getting in his wheelchair again, rolling it out the room as they closed the door on me.

I sighed, incredibly happy that I had found Jason and he admitted he would be there for whatever I wanted us to do – I guess that would mean either moving in, or moving down to Bournemouth, getting married or having kids. Bournemouth, I remembered with a sinking feeling. Looking out the window it was easily half nine, but my phone probably hasn't been recovered yet. Matthew might be going insane but it was too far telepathically. Matthew wouldn't be happy our relationship was going this far, especially as we've only been in each other's company for just over twenty four hours now. 24 hours had felt like a completely different lifetime, where I could be happy and now have to worry about Him and Brother, or Kingdom, because Jason always had my back. He wouldn't let anything bad happen to me, not when he was here.

Fluffy, cloudy haze would be the words I would use to describe the state I woke back up in. My vision was blurred around the edges, and my brain felt incredibly light almost as if someone had drugged me. I frowned, trying to find Jason. It had been over four hours since he promised he'd be back. He had only went to get the physiotherapist letter clearing him, but he had yet to come back. But there was a man in my room. He didn't have the right caring aura for a nurse, and was too shifty for a doctor too but wore the signature white lab coat over the top of scrubs.

'Whoareyou?' I murmured, the words clashing together as I tried to fight the haze I was under.

'Shh, Lucy, let's not wake the other patients. You're going home,' The doctor man said, and I watched as he transferred all the machines to portable ones of his own, moving my IV drip onto a portable pole.

'HomewithJason?'

'No, not that fool,'

'Bournemouth?'

'Back to your proper home, don't worry. We're bringing you some friends this time. It's been a while since you've gone home, you've grown up since then. We'll treat your friends well... if you behave yourself that is,' the doctor said, lifting me up and putting me in a porters chair. I didn't have it in me to fight or to move, and I felt paralysed. I watched out the corner of my eye as the doctor switched off all my old machines which were left flat lining, before making the bed and leaving a note on grey paper on my pillow.

'Idontgetwhatyoumean. Whereismyproperhome,' I asked the Doctor man, frowning at him.

'Shh now, Lucy, you've had a tough day. Let's take you back to Kingdom,' Brother said to me, pushing me out the room and past all the other nurses, who were lying on the floor and tables here someone had knocked them all out via drugs. I tried to comprehend Brother being here, and what he meant, but the drug – probably the same one given to the nurses – pulled me back under.


	31. Chapter 30 - Lucy

**Chapter 30 – Lucy**

I was getting incredibly pissed off with waking up in odd places now. It's not normal to suddenly wake up somewhere, and not remember where you are. Honestly, it's not normal to be in a situation where you're waking up on what feels like rough, freezing cold concrete with only a scratchy blanket over you. I snapped my eyes open, ready to shout at someone but saw Dixon standing over me, hugging herself against the biting cold. Her breath formed little clouds as she breathed out.

'Mara. Mara!' She hissed. 'She's coming around,'

Suddenly there was a Mara at my side as I struggled to get up. Gently, Mara put her hand on my back and helped me to sit up with my legs still sticking out. Mara's black hair was tied back in a pony tail, and was in a white crew neck shirt, and blue skinny jeans with matching white fake converse with a small platform. Not something she would normally where.

'Take it easy, Lucy, you're under a heavy concoction of drugs, or something,' Mara said, as I stumbled up to my feet and immediately tripped over. Where the bloody Hell am i? 'Do you ever listen to what we say?' Mara asked, following me around as I got up, ignoring the cuts on my arms and the painful throb in my upper leg from the bus crash, and now the cut knee from the stumble.

'I...' I went to say, walking over towards a cinder block wall. What we were in was effectively a ten foot by fifteen foot cell. Three walls were completely cinderblock, a low swinging light produced a murderous affect within the room and the fourth wall had half cinderblock, the other half a sliding glass door but was painted grey. Along the three sides was a gutter, which ran down the slight slope of the cell and under a small burrowing to what looked like the outside world, which was why it was freezing in here. I gagged, the contents of my stomach – the last thing I ate would be the chicken burger and chips I had at the cafe – made a reappearance into the gutter. Several more retch of food and a few empty ones for a bit of stomach acid and I felt a lot nicer.

'Okay, how did pukey get a boyfriend before we did?' Dixon joked, coming over to my right side to gently rub my shoulders as Mara went on tiptoe to hold my hair back. True friends here. 'God, you're nasty.' Dixon said and I looked over at her.

White crew neck top, blue skinny jeans, white shoes.

I took a moment to look at myself again. White crew neck top, blue skinny jeans, white shoes.

'Pukey's boyfriend is incredibly cute, Dixon, we have to be careful what we say to her if we want to be bridesmaids.' Mara commented, gently pulling me away from my own vomit and sitting me on the bench that was on the left hand cinder block wall. I sat down, and Mara and Dixon gently let me lay down, using one of their jumpers as a pillow and an empty duvet case as a make shift blanket. I lay down on Mara's lap, her hands playing with my hair like she normally does as she sighed.

'She is either throwing up because she's ill, or because of the drugs they used to knock her out, or she pulled an Ella and got pregnant on a one night stand,' Mara listed the three alternatives, and just as I was about to stick up for Ella, I heard a small voice.

'I heard that!' Ella called.

I sat bolt upright again.

'Ella?' I mumbled back, extremely confused. Where was I? What had happened?

There was a slight crackle from what sounded like the ceiling.

'I'm happy you're all awake now. So we'll transport you to your new living arrangement for the next two weeks. See you on the other side,'

A man told us across the intercom, his voice filled with static as it crackled and echoed in the hollow cells. Mara looked at me completely confused; Dixon was in shock as she sat down on the bench next to me. Both of the girls held my hand and I squeezed them back in what I wanted to be a reassuring gesture but I was just so confused. What was happening? Where was Jason?

A hissing filled the room as gas entered the room, and we all backed away from it. However, gas filled whatever container it's in and I was left gasping for air and the world went fuzzy yet again, and darkness came over my body.

'How are her stats?' A man asked over my inert body as I resurfaced feeling incredibly groggy. I had realised that whatever was happening was not good. I remember the bus crash – and the incredible pain in my left leg made sure I wouldn't be forgetting that any time soon – and I remember waking up in hospital with Jason beside me. He left to get discharged and I must have fallen asleep. Brother was there. Was he? Was that just sleep, or my drug-charged section of the frontal lobe messing around? He unplugged my machines and took me out of the hospital. The nurses were on the floor, also unconscious. Was this... an ambush? Was Jason okay?

My mind wandered to Jason – he would blame himself that I was gone. I was only out for a few hours at the very max. He wasn't in the room, and now I was gone. But what happened to Mara and Dixon? How did they both end up, wearing identical clothes to me – not something any of us would wear – in a cinder block cell? I heard Ella too, and a girl laughing with her, how did they end up there?

'Stable, low blood pressure though but it could be from the chloroform,'

Chloroform? I thought. It wasn't the 1980's and in a shitty spy show.

'Will she be okay enough for our plan,' a man said. He sounded older, a bit bitterer with a no nonsense tone about him but the tone brought shivers to my spine.

'She'll be well enough in time,' The man next to me said. Younger from the tone, and a bit more caring. I felt his hand on my shoulder, and he gently rubbed it but I noticed his fingers heading towards my breasts and I cringed.

'You're glad to have her back,' The bitter man said but the man next to me with exploring fingers didn't reply, but his fingers did more than enough to make up for words. I cringed again, trying to escape but my body didn't bugger all. It was like I was living in a cell that was my body – I didn't have my eyes open but I could still hear them talking. I could feel the warm, oily fingers of the younger man - but who sounded in his late twenties and with a poor education based on the slur of his words where he never learnt how to pronunciation words with a correct articulation – started to caress my breasts and I felt sick. I was shaking but I doubt my body moved at all. 'Leave her,' The man snapped and the fingers retreated. 'Not yet,'

Yet? _Not at all_ sunshine. I knew that when I told Jason, he would completely flip out and hunt down whoever these two people and would deck them. I am against violence, apart from who these two people are. How _dare_ they do this?

'What we going to do with her?'

'Put her in the house with the rest of them, as far as she'll know she's no difference. We'll pull her out at the last minute and claim her back into Kingdom,' The man said and my heart dropped and I felt sick. 'Give her another 5 units of anaesthetic, keep her under.'

It was another two minutes of silence before I eventually was pulled back into the dark realms of medically induced unconsciousness again.


	32. Chapter 31 - Jason

**Chapter 31 – Jason**

'Daddy!' I heard Lily whisper-yell beside me, and I frowned. The toddler had a special talent of whisper yelling. Whenever it was late at night, or someone was asleep she knew she had to be quite but still wanted to yell she would do the whisper-yell. It was still fairly loud but she was making a considerable effort to be quite. 'I want mummy,' Lily whispered.

'So do I, Lils, we're looking for her,' Joe whispered to her.

'But where is she?'

'She's gone for now,' I heard Joe mumble and he sounded heartbroken. Wait – what did he mean Ella had gone? She would never just leave without Lily or Joe. 'She'll be back soon, love,' He whispered to the toddler and Lily sighed. I opened my eyes, immediately confused as to what was happening and saw Joe sitting on the sofa bed on my right side. We were in one of the Maui hospital rooms on base, and I just had a saline drip in hand. Why the Hell was I back in hospital – I had been discharged from hospital and was on my way to find Lucy when I went light headed and... now I'm back here.

Lily was sitting happily on Joe's lap, but was struggling against his grip slightly. I watched in silence as neither noticed I was awake. Lily eventually just fell back into her Dad, and Joe hugged her tightly.

'I just want mummy,' Lily whispered, crying.

'I know, Lily, I know,' Joe whispered a reply, hugging her tightly and rocking her slightly.

'What's happened to Ella? Is Lucy okay?' I asked Joe as he looked up and cleared his throat and wiped away a tear.

'Er, Lily, do you want to go and find Uncle Jake? He's still where he was from earlier,' Joe asked Lily and the toddler frowned.

'Is the baby still there,' Lily asked, hugging her toy dinosaur to her chest.

'Yeah, Jacob should still be there. Go ask Jake if you can hold your cousin again,' Joe asked, hugging Lily tight for a second. I watched, extremely confused as Lily wandered out of the room. Joe quickly got up and watched her wander down the hallway before giving someone the thumbs up. I could only assume I was in one of the more private hospital wings, where there was a large family room down the bottom of each ward visible from the rooms themselves. I wondered why I was here, and more important why Joe, Lily, Jake and Jake's five month old son Jacob were all here. And where were Ella and Lucy?

'Where's Lucy? Where's Ella?' I asked Joe sitting up on the hospital bed.

'We don't know,' Joe mumbled and I frowned.

'What do you mean you don't know?' I asked him and he sighed, looking up at the ceiling like he was praying – and I knew something bad was up because Joe didn't even believe in the _concept_ of religion.

'Ella and Lucy have both been classed as missing people,' Joe told me, coming to sit back down on the sofa as my mouth dropped.

'That's bullshit, Joe, Lucy was just her. I was gone for ten minutes to be discharged after the bus crash.' I explained to him and Joe held up his hand slightly.

'You don't remember fuck all, so I'll explain it to you but you better not interrupt – got it?' Joe said, rubbing his hands on his knees.

'Okay, go,' I ordered him.

'You went back to your hospital room to be discharged, we have all the paperwork from the occupational therapist and physiotherapist which outline some nerve damage may have been caused by the deeper glass segment in your arms, torso and leg and have explained to you to limit the left side of your body whilst you can. Which is handy, because whilst you're predominantly left handed you're also ambidextrous which is the first time I can ever say that has been a benefit. So the nurses left you to get changed back into normal clothes and not the ripped to shreds bus crash clothes, or a hospital "dress" which is what you called it last time but some new clothes a mysterious person had brought. The nurse said it was your Dad who left it, but Isaac was still heading home. You went to put it on, someone chloroformed you and stabbed a needle in your right arm and gave you something to pass out. Doctor's found you, called next to kin which you had transferred to me for some unknown reason to tell me you had been drugged. I was getting ready to drive to Royal Berks, which was where you were, and Ella got a phone call. She had to quickly go outside to answer it because Lily was watching her programmes and it was important. She kissed me like usual, told me she loves me and I love her back and she went outside. However, she never came back in.' Joe explained.

'What do you mean?'

'I was with Lily watching some weird TV programme and I thought Ella had been outside for a long time, and it's not cold anymore and it was still light, but when it was longer than ten minutes I went outside to find her and she wasn't there. I tried calling her, telepathically finding her, but nothing. However, just up the street a bit was a bunch of helium balloons – congratulation balloons – all pink with grey chalk writing on. There was a card on it that simply said "Now you realise" and had a "12 out of 24" on it, and written below that was "we're half way there!" so immediately I called base, police everyone. The balloons were taken away in evidence, Ella was filed as missing,' Joe explained and I knew he was just keeping it together for the sake of me and Lily if she was to come running back in.

'Crap,' I whispered. Ella was missing?

'So whilst some were down collecting evidence and reviewing the CCTV that we have around the house which we have to have from the last case, you were unconscious and big boss Susan got another call from Royal Berk's saying a patient has gone missing, all nurses and doctors on the ward had been knocked out, but in the patient's bed was pink helium balloons with the grey chalk writing on congratulations, and the exact same card, but the number was 1 out of twenty four,'

'Lucy...' I mumbled, the shock hitting me full force.

'Sorry, mate,' Joe nodded, whispered back.

'Why twenty four,'

'In the last six hours, twenty four missing people cases have been filed all with the exact same balloons and cards. Not only that, it all links with the Savant case you and Ella were doing, about the Grey Net. Every single individual listed as missing were on that Net or was in the transfer waiting list – apart from one of Lucy's friends,'

Four hours later, I sat in Michael's office back at Maui headquarters in a grey shirt and jeans, with my saline drip still plugged in waiting for any type of news to come through but currently nothing. I had seen the full list of the twenty four missing and it included Lucy, her two friends and flatmates Mara and Dixon – who she highly spoke about – and included Ella's sister-in-laws, which I guess would also be my cousins-in-law, Crystal Brooks and Sky Bright.

'This is bullshit, why can't we know anything,' Michael said pacing around in front of me.

'We're all the "family" in this case, and we always used to tell people to keep the family out for their own good,' I explained numbly and Joe, who was sitting opposite me, agreed. Joe had got his parents to babysit Lily for the night and they kind of had to agree.

'I'll just go and hack into the database then,' Michael stormed off out the door.

'What do we do?' I asked Joe as he just stared at the door.

'Nothing,' Joe muttered.

'If it's associated to that case, we know that all of them will be well and healthy for fourteen days, we just need to find them before day fourteen and they'll be fine, all twenty four of them, including Sky, Crystal, Mara, Dixon, Ella and Lucy will all be fine.' I said even though I knew it was more of a case of easier said than done.

'Ella is not in a good enough state,'

'What do you mean?' I asked. I was yet to meet someone who was in a good enough state to be kidnapped.

'She's pregnant, incredibly early stages. About three weeks, maybe even four now, I'm not too sure. So it's not twenty four people they've kidnapped - it's twenty five.'


	33. Chapter 32 - Lucy

**Chapter 32 – Lucy**

'I think she's starting to come around,'

An incredibly soft voice said beside me and I would immediately class it as a mothering voice. Delicate but passionate at the same time, someone who you could tell deeply cared about the outcome of whatever they were doing. They had a brilliant bedside manner, and they would be the nurses and doctors who sat down with you and talked with you for a few hours and made you really feel welcome. I had a nurse like that after I was rescued from Kingdom. Wanda, her name was, and she had a blonde frizz of a mum-bob. She used to tell me about her four kids and their schooling and so on, tell me family stories. When she realised I would be a long term patient, she would bring in photo albums of her kids growing up and showed me their summer vacation to Hawaii, or their trip to Disneyland and I drank up the information, incredibly glad to know that kids can have normal life's. After living in confinement for fifteen years, unable to remember or even process what a normal childhood was like, I begged Wanda to explain me the simple things. I mean, I owed Wanda a lot. I couldn't speak very coherently, having never learnt language apart from that used in books I stole. She sat down and taught me how to speak like I do know, and I also picked up an articulatory tone too. Wanda then told me what it was like to grow up outside of abuse. It was incredible, learning of all the things most children had from a young age – being able to see someone qualified in medicine just by ringing the phone? Fly in pressurised containers? Kids moan about education? I guess I was from a very disadvantaged point of view, but why would anyone moan about education? It's a wonderful thing, filling your mind with so many things, enhancing your perspective of the world we live in! Eventually, I was discharged from the Maui hospital, and Wanda brought me an edible fruit basket and told me to keep in touch. I was so glad I did, and we used to meet up once in a while for coffee as she would fill me in with her kid's news, and I would fill her in with things my side of life. She had the mothering tone, much like whoever was sitting beside me. A perfect bedside manner.

'Lucy, can you hear me?'

The voice asked again, and I noticed whoever was speaking was also incredibly articulated like me. She pronounced every syllable correctly and curled the correct letters and made the words sound like silk falling off a small surface. Soft and swooshy. I smiled slightly.

'I know you can, come on, let's wake up,'

Eventually, I prised my eyes open dying to see who was the motherly figure who was speaking to me in the darkness. I wasn't overly shocked when I saw Ella sitting on my bed beside me. The perfect mother within herself, despite looking about sixteen, I knew we were roughly the same age but the only difference was she had a three year old daughter and I had never been in a real relationship. Apart from the fact her cousin is my Soulfinder.

'There we go,' Ella said as I sat up, she gently put a hand on my back as I closed my eyes trying not to feel like the world was spinning. 'Careful, God knows what you've been drugged with, and you must be low on energy by now,'

'Drugged?' I asked, frowning at her.

'You've been out for over three days,' Ella said, gently helping me up. I was uncertain on my feet to say the least, and the room was swaying. I looked around the room, and sure enough it was near enough empty. Much like the cinder block cell we were once in, the room was grey on grey, but was on laminated flooring. The room was about twelve foot squared, with two single beds. In between was a wooden cabinet which had a glass of water on for me, and some painkillers. There was a wooden door central to the room.

'Three days?' I whispered to Ella and she nodded.

'Yup, how you feeling now?' She asked, gently letting go of me as I stopped swaying.

'Weak,' I said and she nodded.

'Don't blame you – come on,' Ella said softly as she put her arm around my waist, gently pulling out of the room. The room led into a grey hallway – the same grey flooring with minimal lighting but with another two wooden doors opposite. There was another door this side of the hallway down a bit. To the left the hallway dropped into an open plan room. Ella led me that way.

I wasn't too sure where I was, but they were keen on their grey.

The flooring changed to white, but the grey walls continued. There was a TV on the wall, was only Freeview recordings. Three sofa's sat in a U shape around the tv, and some cabinets around the back. Three people sat on the sofas; Dixon with her legs up on one sofa, and two others on the next settee.

'How are you doing,' a girl asked me. She looked perhaps nineteen, with wavy blonde hair tied up in a pony tail and bright blue eyes. She looked concerned, and the other girl behind her looked over at me. Her fuzzy hair was also tied back. However, all three girls were all in matching crew white shirts, blue jeans, white fake converse. 'Don't bother answering,' She said, sitting up giving me room to sit down, as Ella gently guided me to the chair, sitting me down. 'She feels like crap,' She told Ella, and Ella nodded.

'I really don't blame her,' Ella replied vacantly over my head as I buried my head in my hands.

'It's probably just the remainder of whatever the Hell they knocked her out with,' Crystal said.

'It must have been strong to keep her out this long – MARA!' I heard Dixon shouted, and I squirmed in my own hands. I heard the pitter patter of feet across the laminated floor as two little feet – size two– stopped in front of me. I knew they were Mara's – no other people I knew had feet so small that she could only shop in juniors.

'Morning, Lucy,' Mara said and I frowned at her.

'Someone's going to have to explain this to me,' I asked, feeling the tears swell in my eyes. I was so confused and my current headache was so intense even opening my eyes too much sent a stick of lightening through the back of my head. What the Hell were six of us all doing in matching clothes in a grey apartment block?

I heard someone clear their throat and I looked up, seeing who exactly I was in the room with; Ella sat beside me, her hand gently on my back. Dixon and Mara sat next to each other on the sofa to the left of me, sitting with grim looks of concern, and the two stranger girls sat opposite me, the one who asked how I was doing now sitting on her feet, and the taller one with curly dirty blonde hair was leaning forward. They looked between themselves, wondering who was the best one to explain.

'Er, Lucy,' the blonde one across from me started to speak, and Ella nodded at her as she seeked her approval. 'I'm Sky, by the way,' She said and I just looked up from my hands, smiling softly but I couldn't be bothered with warm welcomes.

'Basically what has happened is we've all been kidnapped from various places; we can all remember where we was but it just blacks out. Eventually, we all woke up in cinder block cells and when you woke up we were all gassed again and woke up here. We're locked in these apartments for six hours, then that door –' Dixon was the one who started up speaking and she gestured to a corrugated metal door behind her. I didn't even notice that sinister looking door. 'opens, and down three flights of stairs – each floor has a similar door to us, and we can hear people talking inside each one and we've spoken to a few of them too and it's a similar rota, but we go down to the kitchen and eat and everything, and after an hour we are told to head back up here. Ella tried to stay down there on the first day, but she just got taken away by guards, knocked out and came back bruised and cut,'

I looked over at Ella as she shrugged, and I saw the sluggish green colour of a faded bruise across her face.

'Why are we here though?'

'We don't know – we also don't know why you've been out for just over three days now,' Crystal – I had finally recognised the girl as another one of the Benedict's Soulfinder's. So – three of Jason's cousins, two through marriage or the Soulfinder bond and one through blood, and my two roommates were all here.

'Three days?' I asked in absolute shock. I couldn't comprehend how long I had been out for. So how long has it been since I was taken that night in the hospital. Based on my hunger and desire to down three bottles of water, and the weakness in my muscles, the girls weren't lying. I had been unconscious for a while.

'You must be well rested, though,' Mara joked, flicking her hair over her shoulder.

'Yeah – you look flawless,' Crystal added, and we all laughed.

There was a rumble; the corregated door had opened. The girls all looked at each other.

'It's not our time yet,' Dixon said.

The metal had only got to about five feet above floor level when armed guards all walked in; in rows of two they surrounded the settee, with the outside of each pair pointing their guns at us, the inside of each guard held their gun in neutral. After eighteen guards all entered the door, guns pointed and others relaxed, I looked around the girls – Dixon and Mara had their hands in surrender and Sky and Crystal looked cautiously towards Ella. Ella, however, looked like they walked in carrying hospital coffee for her.

'You alright,' Ella said completely calm like it was completely normal for eighteen armed guards to hold guns at her.

'You're wanted,' One of the hench men said, arms out like he was holding invisible rolls of carpet.

'Darling, at least buy me dinner,' She said drily, but got up anyway. She gestured for us to do the same.

'The Boss wants to see you all,'


	34. Chapter 33 - Jason

**Chapter 33 – Jason**

 **Four days later**

It had been a long week since Lucy had been taken from hospital, but it had also been an unproductive week. Searched had been carried out, arrests made but there was no sign of all the victims. There had been twenty four individuals that have been classified as missing and had been linked to this case. Lucy, Ella, Crystal, Sky, and Lucy's two roommates were on the list. We knew that Maui were doing all they could for the girls, plus the other individuals on the list, but it wasn't quick enough. We knew that the girl's kidnappings would coincide with the case we found a week and a bit ago, they only had fourteen days until they were all found dead. Half way there, I thought. But we had no leads, nothing.

'How's Lily doing?' Michael asked from the other side of the room to Joe. In the nicest way possible, I had never seen my best friend look so shit than I did at this moment; the last week had taken a toll on him. It had taken a toll on all of us, but it hit Joe badly. He didn't want to leave Lily even with family, so was constantly stuck with a three year old who wasn't settling down, wasn't sleeping and Joe had a struggle every meal time to get her to eat. Not only that, he had to deal with the secret knowledge that his fiancée was pregnant, too. I looked at Joe for a second where he was sitting on one of the window seats in the North office, which overlooked the day care centre where Lily was playing. Joe had his legs up but not once did he ever take his eyes off his daughter. We had been in the room for just over three hours now and he had not shifted, or said a single word.

He was blaming himself for Ella's disappearance in the exact same was I was blaming myself for Lucy. We had become inseparable again; with us two sleeping around Joe's house, or staying on base in hope something would come through. I knew that if I didn't leave Lucy alone, I would have at least been able to get her out of hospital before whoever took her did. Joe is blaming himself because Ella had gone outside to take a phone call, like she normally does so Lily doesn't overhear anything, but he didn't keep an eye on her like he normally does. We watched the CCTV from outside their house, and you can see Ella wandering backwards and forwards out of shot on the pathway outside their house. In shot, then back out, back in and then out but then she disappeared completely.

'Not good,' Joe said in a forced whisper. 'She's barely sleeping, and when she does she just has nightmares,'

'What does she say?' I asked him. I had seen Lily when she's been having these nightmares and it nearly killed me off; I couldn't watch her that upset. Joe had gotten into a habit that when he head Lily start stirring in her sleep, he would go sit by her bed and try and calm her down before she woke up.

'She keeps saying that the bad men had got Ella, the bad army men.' Joe said shaking his head. 'I've already looked at the suspect list – there's no one with any form of military background on there,'

'She is only three, though,' Michael said, 'She might not mean army in the same way that we all mean army. She could just mean security,'

'Perhaps, but that's still not a lead. You can't hold twenty four people who you've just kidnapped without security,' I quipped back and he nodded.

'Of course, but we don't know what Lily can do Savant wise yet, so perhaps we can get her to talk,' Michael said.

'No.' Joe said straight away. 'You are not going to make her talk like that,'

'It might be beneficial for the girls, for everyone,' Michael said back.

'Bugger off – you are not going to manipulate my three year old daughters mind in order to make her speak about things she is having bad dreams about,' Joe argued back.

'Daddy?' We heard a small whisper in the corridor. This meeting room was meant for those who had families, and it had an open staircase that led straight up, so whilst it was respectively private, you could still easy get to your children if you needed them or they needed you. We looked over, and saw Lily standing on the top of the stair case, hugging her dinosaur teddy tight to her chest. Joe immediately got up, shooting Michael a dirty look as he went over to Lily, picking her up to sit on his hip. 'Do the bad men still have Mummy?'

'Yeah,' He whispered in a strained voice and Lily looked at him like he just told her Santa doesn't exist.

'The army men have Mummy, though,' Lily whispered, leaning her head against Joe's shoulder as he gently kissed the top of her head. 'I told you, why haven't you got her?' Lily whispered.

'Lily, what are the army men wearing?' I asked her and both Michael and Joe looked at me confused.

'All of them are wearing black but the big army man is in a suit – like Daddy and you wear,' Lily said and I frowned. No military service wears black, supporting the theory that they're not army but rather security. 'But they are cold – it's very cold where they are.'

'Lily, can you show us where you think they are on this map?' Michael said, crouching down to appear less intimidating for the toddler. Joe put her down and she ran over to Michael, hugging her Uncle slightly as he crouched down and he picked her up. Lily hesitated, reading all the names of the countries that were in the northern hemisphere, before pointing to Norway.

'How do you know she's there, Lils,' Michael asked her, tiggling her tummy slightly as she hit his hand away.

'I saw Mummy say it in a dream. Trump storm,' She whispered, looking at over Joe and held her arms out. Joe immediately got up and went over to the toddler, taking her out of Michael's grasp. Michael let him, immediately pulling out his phone.

'Lily, do you mean Tromso?' Joe asked Lily, hugging her tight and Lily nodded.

'Ya,'

'Is that enough to narrow it down?' Joe asked Michael and he nodded.

'Yeah, Tromso is a big town, don't get me wrong, but we should be able to pin point roughly where the girls are being held and find a way to get them out safely,' Michael said, walking out of the room on his phone. He held his hand up as a goodbye to the three of us as Lily hugged Joe back, giving him a sloppy kiss on the cheek as Joe grinned at her, even the slightest hope of getting Ella back making him happy. I was relieved more than anything, but I still was scared. How, and why, did they get up to Tromso?


	35. Chapter 34 - Jason

Chapter 34 – Jason

'Daddy?' Lily whispered in the dead of the night.

It had been yet another long sleepless night waiting for some news – any news at all – about the girls. Whilst they couldn't fully trust the words of a three year old based on a bad dream it was enough information to spark up an initial investigation. A team of six had gone over Tromso via unmarked helicopter to try and see if we could find anything out of place. Anything that could at least commission anything to try and find the girls, all twenty four of them. We knew time was running out – on the fourteenth day they would have been murdered, and it's over a week now. We had minimal time now, and even if they found them they would have to fling everything into the investigation to get the girls out. These things takes days planning, and it's time we are letting slip away.

I had stayed over Joe's to try and care after Lily but the toddler seemed fine after we told her they were looking for Ella in Tromso. After the normal book she likes to read before bed, she had settled down easily and drifted off. It was Joe and I that were the issue – and Joe wouldn't even let me read him a bed time story. Both of us were over the edge with anxiety about Ella and Lucy. I just wanted Lucy safe – if she hated me after this I couldn't blame her, if I had stayed with her this would not have happened, but I just wanted her back. Joe was on the edge of being pushed over, knowing that Ella is pregnant too but he wasn't allowed to mention it to anyone as it would make the investigation move slower.

'Daddy?' Lily whispered again.

'What's up, Lils?' Joe asked, putting his hand on Lily's back as she tried to climb onto the bed. I watched as Lily clambered over Joe and lay in between Joe and myself. Joe switched on the light before rolling and hugging his daughter. 'What's up?'

'Have they found Mummy yet?' Lily asked.

'Not yet, no,' Joe said softly.

'Even though she has a baby,' Lily said and Joe nodded.

'Even though she has a baby, yeah,'

'Mummy's in a hexagon.' Lily whispered.

'What do you mean, Lils?' I asked to her and Joe shot me a look. 'What do you mean she's in a hexagon?'

'Mummy – she's in a hexagon with your princess and auntie Crystal and auntie Sky. They're not happy there, though, but they can't leave.' Lily said, playing with the paws on the dinosaur and Joe just frowned at Lily.

'Is this hexagon in Tromso, Lily?' Joe asked, tiggling her slightly.

'Ya,'

'I'll go call Maui,' Joe said, grabbing his phone from the cabinet, chucking it around in his hand as he kissed Lily on the forehead before leaving the room.

'Uncle Jason,' Lily whispered to me, and I looked down at the toddler.

She looked so much like Ella it was uncanny; you can tell that Lily was her daughter from miles away. Lily had inherited Ella's long blonde straight hair, the green grey eyes and the chubby cheeks with the cute dimple. I had to admit how stunning Ella was to Joe, even though he glared at me for saying it, but Lily was just too cute. But there was no paternity doubts around Lily; she was clearly Joe's kid too. The straight nose and the bone structure, and the thick lashes too. Even the way she acts sometimes is incredibly similar to the way Joe acted when we were in primary school together. It even narrowed it down to the way Lily sticks out her tongue when cutting paper, and Joe did the same thing.

I hated myself for how I reacted with Joe when he told me Ella was expecting a baby. It was in hospital after Ella came back from Cornwall in a coma from her injuries. They had told me and I was happy to start with but I had words with Joe as he walked me through the maze of the hospital to my car. I asked him if he knew how much pressure it would be on him, as well as his girlfriend as well as their relationship. I asked him if it was his choice or Ella's to keep the baby, and when they said it was a joint decision I frowned and wondered it if it was one of them doing it to keep the other one happy. Joe got annoyed at me, telling me it was their choice at the end of the day and if I didn't like it I could stick that opinion where the sun doesn't shine.

I wish I had kept my mouth shut, because eventually they worked it out. They moved into Joe's flat and settled down happily for a few weeks before getting their first scan of their baby. It had come back all clean and healthy, and they started to tell people. They got engaged, moved into a house, and Ella gave birth weeks early but Lily was fine, and when I saw them in hospital I knew they made the right choice. Even now, they were still amazing me with their prompt parenting skills.

'Yeah, Lily?' I replied to the toddler who was looking at me expectantly.

'Are you going to marry Princess?' she whispered to me.

'Er, maybe,' I replied the question catching me completely off guard.

'That would make her happy,' Lily said and he nodded to herself and I grinned at her.

'Would it?'

'Ya, it would make you happy too,' Lily commented and I hesitated. Of course Lucy would make me happy. 'Then after you get married you can have loads of babies,'

'Okay Lily let's reign it in slightly' I laughed at her gently, hugging her to me.

'Mummy is having another baby,' Lily whispered to me, hugging me back.

'She is?' I asked her. Of course I knew she was, but hey. When you have a kid you become a compulsive liar – Santa and the Easter Bunny for example.

'Ya, but she won't love me as much,' Lily said sadly.

'Of course she will, Lily. The baby might take up some more time, though, but Mummy will love you as much as she does now, and so will Daddy. Having a baby takes up a lot of time,' I explained to her, talking like I knew what I was on about even though I had no bloody clue.

'But they just sleep!'

'Yeah, but they're up at all kinds of hours wanting food or needing changing, but it doesn't change anything – Mummy and Daddy will still love you the same, and you'll have a brother or sister,' I explained to Lily and she nodded.

The door to the bedroom opened again and Joe walked in, grinning from ear to ear. I frowned at him then realised it must be good news if he's that happy. Immediately, he started to get changed and I covered Lily's eyes as she laughed.

'Going somewhere, sweetheart?' I asked Joe and he laughed slightly.

'They want us in at base, they have something,' Joe simply said.

It was pitch black when we were driving into base but neither Joe nor myself was tired. We were buzzed up, like we had downed 28 shots of espresso and perhaps some recreational drugs, all because they said they found a lead to the girls. I had begun to miss Lucy so much it hurt to think about her – and I had only known her for just over a day as my Soulfinder. If I didn't become a full time babysitter to Lily I would have lost it. Joe reassured me; saying that no matter how new the bond was, it was still strong as ever. But I didn't realise how much it was possible to miss someone. I just missed her being... well... her. I wanted to hold her again like I did that night, hug her close to me, pick her up and carry her around. I miss the way she acts, the way she looks at me, even the way we kissed. I missed her too much. I want her back. The fierceness of it hit me hard. I want her back – and when she's back she is never leaving my side again.

Lily's words echoed in my head – I already decided that I loved her and I wanted to, one day, live with her, marry her and potentially have our own kids. I loved her.

'You alright, mate?' Joe said and I snapped out of it.

'Er, yeah?' I asked tentatively.

'You was grinning like a kid and made a weird noise,' He simply said, checking the rear view mirror to check on a sleeping Lily in the back.

'Hmm,' I replied as we turned into base. They must have been told to expect our entrance, as we just drove straight through the barricades and the security defences they normally have armed and ready. Joe changed up a gear, his speed heading into the forties as he barrelled down the road leading to the main base, where Michael had told us to meet him.

'Is Lily asleep?' He asked gently and I turned in my chair. The toddler had changed into some leggings and a shirt, with a jumper over the top but was now fast asleep in the booster seat, her head lolled over the seat as she hugged the dinosaur to her chest. I smiled at her. 'I'll take that broody look as a yes,' Joe simply said and I smiled softly.

Wait – what did he mean by broody?

'It's obvious, mate,' Joe said, starting to break to pull into one of the spaces near the front of the building. Hardly anyone works the graveyard shift and we'd only get called in if someone major happens. Only Michael's car was parked, and a few others scattered around. Anyone who was actually working would be in the underground car park. 'You clearly want your own kid but you're denying it because you're too "young" or whatever was the reason you didn't want us to have Lily,' He said bluntly and I frowned at him.

'I have admitted I was wrong about that,' I said back and he shrugged.

'It wasn't a dig,' He said. 'It's just the way you were brought up,'

'You were brought up the same,'

'Yup, but I was brought up in a Savant family. They weren't happy Ella was pregnant but they understood that I wasn't going to leave her or the baby, and they knew it wasn't going to ruin anything either and it was inevitable. I think everyone was just happy that there was going to be a baby,' He said, pulling up next to Michael's car, putting the handbrake on. 'Also, apart from Isaac, neither you nor Lucy has any real family,' he said and I nodded.

'So what's stopping you?' He asked, turning off the engine and looking at base like it held all of his secrets.

'Er – the fact I've known her for a day as my Soulfinder?' I asked him like he was stupid.

'If we're doing it based on the whole Soulfinder thing, I found out when Ella was twelve weeks gone,' Joe said simply, getting out the car. I followed his moves, standing awkwardly as he bent down to pick Lily out her car seat. He balanced the toddler on his hip, Lily's head against his shoulder as he locked the car.

'It's different,' I said under my breath, walking towards base like Lucy was in here, brought home and safe. I swear to God that girl is never going to leave my side. Ever. 'This has all happened in between,'

'We were down in Cornwall with terrorists hunting us – I won't say any more because it's not my choice, it's between you and Lucy, just know you won't be getting any baby cuddles if you look at my baby like you want to kidnap him when he arrives,' Joe simply said.

'We think we found them,' Michael called down the stairs.

'So, where are they?' I asked, Lily having been placed on my lap in her sleeping state so Michael and Joe could talk quietly. We were in the Northern office, I on one side of the table, Michael and Joe on the other side but even from there I couldn't hear what they were saying. My mind had been running around tenfold. My need for Lucy to come back, mixed in with what Joe was hinting, to sheer excitement to concern made time dribble past. I prayed for Lucy's safety. I missed her. I really did miss her. I hugged Lily a bit tighter.

'We think we found them,' Michael said to me, looking up at me. I once was scared shitless by him, but now he was my cousin I seemed less scared by him. I'm so glad Ella had told him before she went missing.

'Great, let's go get them!'

'It's not as easy as that,' Michael warned heavily and I got up, putting sleeping Lily back on the chair before heading over to the laptop. I looked over Michael's shoulder.

'If we take Lily's word and they're being kept in a hexagon, this is the only place in Tromso. It lines up – it's in a middle of a rotting military base. It's been left for dead, but theoretically it could have people in. But it's been abandoned for over thirty years,' Michael said and we summed up the image.

It was grainy to say the least; but we could work out what was being shown. Among other smaller buildings, a hexagon sat. Michael played the clip that must have been shot out of the helicopter – the building was around fifteen stories high and looking impregnable. I let out a muffled swear word. It would need weeks of planning to create an operation to get in there. It takes a week to organise a trip to the partnered Savant academy up north – this would take months. I could see Joe was thinking the exact same thing. It would take months of coordination.

'That would take weeks to break into, though,' Joe said remorsefully.

'Yeah, but they only have six days left,'

Michael didn't need to say it – we know what he meant. Six days left until the twenty four kidnapped individuals will get murdered, and we'll find their bodies next to a body of water. Six days wasn't a long time. Not long at all.

'We can't wait that long, we need to get them out,' I said, panic heading deep within me.

'I have a plan, but it could be suicide,' Joe said, sitting down on the chair next to Michael as I hovered around. I copied his behaviour.

'If it will work, we'll do it.' Michael said.

Anything to get the girls out, get them safe would be completely worth it – even if we would get hurt in the process.

 **Day thirteen, 7:04am**

I sat in the car playing with the seatbelt and the leather interior of Joe's car, waiting for him. I had to give him time, I understood that, but this felt like suicide – a waste of time. The time that Joe was in his parents' house could be time that we could be heading to Norway. The plan was set – we knew what we would be doing and just hoped the girls, all twenty four of them, got the memo. We had to pray to the guardian angels that my father used to pray too after my "death" when I was a few days old that the plan would work.

It was a messy plan, relying on coordination and exact timings to work. The day that we were called into the office, Ella had managed to find herself in her old office. Joe had dropped by to pick up some clothes for Lily – a habit the couple had got into, keeping spare clothes in the office for the messy toddler. Ella had told Joe that it was draining her to be there.

Ella had told Joe everything she could about where they are; they were not under duress by person as such but more the place. She had outlined that they were under influence not to use their gifts however Ella had managed to break that just long enough to get the message through to Joe. If they used their gift, it would trigger an alarm and everyone would be knocked out. The twenty four girls were across four floors – six on each. Every six hours on a pro-rota basis, the doors to their floors would open and they were able to head down to the bottom floor; a kitchen. The girls on different floors were not allowed to communicate however they were all safe. Guards come once a day to make sure they're all there and breathing. There's over twenty guards on each shift, shifts change every twelve hours but the remaining guards who are off duty stay on sight. They've overheard them talking about "the boss and sideman" who only come in when they are on food rotation. They are located on the seventh floor, to the twelfth floor but they don't know what's above them or below them. The plot of land has controls making sure no one enters. It's a challenge just to get into.

The plan was hastily thrown together within the fifteen minutes Joe was speaking to Ella. Well, we say speaking, Ella was projecting herself to the office the telekinetically writing her responses on the door. Joe could just speak; she would hear and reply in writing. Ella would get the word to all of the girls, and on day thirteen they would break out at the same time, get some Jeeps and drive out of Norway. On our side, we would take enough troops with us that we would be able to help them get out. We would meet them thirty miles down the road and a plan to get them all out and into isolation in the cabins at base.

We were relieved to hear from the girls, knowing that they're all safe. Ella had also confirmed to Joe that the baby appeared to be okay. Joe, of course, was over the moon. He was struggling knowing Ella was in danger but also the idea that she was under all of the stress of being kidnapped and held under duress whilst in the early stages of pregnancy.

I was incredibly relieved to find out Lucy was okay. I had developed such an ache in just wanting her back that I wasn't too sure how I was still breathing and functioning. It had felt like there was an elastic band was attached to my heart, stretching it beyond relax when she wasn't with me. I sighed. I loved her so much – and if this all went wrong today, she'd never know.

I looked over at Joe's parent's house, waiting for him. He was dropping Lily off for perhaps an overnight stay but he was taking a long time to drop the toddler off. I think Lily knew what was happening, though, as she kept asking when Mummy would be home, and if we're going to pick her up. Joe didn't want to leave Lily but we couldn't take her with us. We knew how risky this operation was.

Another fifteen minutes and Joe appeared, the door closing behind him. He walked to his car, hands deep in his pocket. He didn't even look back before opening the car door and sitting in, but when he did I noticed the look of tears in his eyes.

'You okay?'

'That was so hard,' He said, his voice cracking slightly. I nodded – what could I say to that? 'If this all goes wrong today, it'll be the last time I'd see her,'

'You can't say that, Joe, it won't go wrong,' I said, amazed at the strength coming through in my voice.

'But if it does –'

'It won't – it's been planned perfectly.' I said. 'If the girls can do what Ella said, even if it means them just getting out of there we'll get them back, by the end of the day, we'll have them back.'

'Mmm,' Joe said but I guessed he didn't agree with my optimism.

'Now, wave goodbye to your daughter and let's head back to Maui, okay?' I told him, looking out the window where Lily had got up onto the sofa, and was looking out the window at us excitedly. Very soon, her family would be put back together – we hoped.

 **Hello!** I've hoped you've been enjoying these last few chapters. However, I'm not too sure if I should continue or not - what do you think? I'm scared that no one is reading this or enjoying it because there has been no reviews recently and so on and yeah.


	36. Chapter 35 - Lucy

**Chapter 35, Part 1 – Lucy**

Day thirteen was among us.

We had been counting down to this day for various reasons. At first, day thirteen would be our last day alive, our last day to say peace with whatever Gods or whatever religion we followed, or console the idea of death. However, we had a plan to escape and even though it sounded like suicide we were going to die anyway so what the hell. I rolled over onto my side on the uncomfortable bed to look at the clock on the wall. How is it only half six in the morning? I hugged myself a bit tighter. Tonight, I'll either be dead from trying to escape, back in here, or with Jason. Even just the idea of being with Jason made me a bit better. Within the last few days, I realised I loved him too much. I missed everything about him, his cheeky grin and his hair that got everywhere to the way he hugged me in his sleep – and let's even mention his kisses.

'Lucy, stop thinking about Jason – actually, stop thinking about my cousin like that,' Ella said laughing slightly and I rolled over. Ella had at some point sat up on her bed and was looking at me. I wasn't surprised she was awake at this awful time in the morning. Her insomnia had immediately come back the second she wasn't with Joe or Lily, and was up for the majority of the night.

'Sorry,' I mumbled, hugging myself.

'Luce, I was joking you willy,' She laughed, and I nodded. I knew she was joking but I couldn't find it in me to laugh.

'I think the only thing that's come out of this is how much I love Jason, I know that sounds bad,' I said and Ella shook her head.

'Not at all,' She said and she rubbed her hand over the stomach slightly, pulling her shirt down slightly.

'How's the baby?' I asked her, sitting up.

'He's fine, I think, I dunno. I didn't even know I was pregnant this early on with Lily,' Ella shrugged.

'How did you miss you was pregnant?' I asked her.

'I didn't have any symptoms at all – I was completely flat until just over half way, I mean, Joe and I met when we were evacuated down to Cornwall when we had death threats against us and just randomly one day when we were down there I had this massive bleed, he took me to hospital and we found out I was pregnant. It was a no brainer if we wanted to keep her or not. We near enough decided there and then but we didn't want to scare each other off, so we said we'd wait until we're back – but by then it was already decided.' Ella explained, laying back down again.

'But you were only twenty one?'

'Yeah. Thing is, financially we would and are completely fine. We were both committed and even if the whole Soulfinder thing wouldn't have worked out and we drove each other insane, Joe would have still stuck around. Some of our family on both sides were a bit iffy at first, but it was the first baby on my side of the family and third on Joe's. Everyone came around on the idea, age doesn't really matter as long as you're going to be fully committed to the child and will put the child first.'

'I guess,' I sighed. 'I don't know what to do about Jason, provided we get out of this place,'

'What about Jason?'

'I kinda don't want to leave him, I want to move in with him but how do I know if he feels the same, and then where we would live and if he would even want too...' I said quickly realising how stupid and superficial this must seem. And this was all pending as to if we even got out of here later, as Ella's plan stated.

'He called Joe and Lily into work to cover the rest of his shift to drive down to Bournemouth to pick you up. He then told the big boss who he is terrified of that he might not be in for the rest of the week to look after you and make sure you were okay. He said to us he was more than willing to let you live with him. I don't think you'd ever need to worry about if he wants to do anything. He dotes you, he really does. It's more of a case of whenever you want to do something, tell him and he'll do it.' Ella said, pausing the sentence when we heard the sound of steel-capped boots on the floor, heavily heading towards the door. Ella and I barely had time to sit up again before the door opened and armed guards filled the room.

'Get up, Boss wants to see you,' The first guard said, pointing a gun at my head, and then the man behind at Ella's.

'Why?' Ella argued behind me. Did she not notice the gun?

'He wants to see you,'

'I asked why.'

'Follow us,'

'Tell us fucking why then we will,' Ella argued back. Was she suicidal? I was already standing up, sobbing, heading towards the door. I hated arguments.

'The boss wanted to see Lucy, but told us to bring you too,' The guard said and Ella opened her mouth but looked at me. I shook my head at her, silently urging her not to bother arguing. My tears were streaming down my face, bringing some warmth.

'Okay,' Ella said through strained teeth and it was for my benefit and not because she was satisfied with their answers. We both got up and followed the guards at the front, the rest of the guard falling into formation behind us. Silently, we walked down the hallway together as I grabbed Ella's hand, too scared that if she wasn't there she'd disappear. Ella squeezed my hand in reassurance, not letting it go as we walked out of the apartment, down the three flights of stairs, and into the kitchen. We paused as they opened the grate door – a first.

What opened in front of us was an extremely large empty hallway with a bench across the middle. I turned around and looked back on the kitchen, amazed that the kitchen itself was set with the walls being made from one way glass. My jaw dropped as I looked up and saw that the matching lounges for the four floors; including ours was all made from glass as well, rising from the floor. Each floor had a balcony around it for observation, and a man was on each floor watching intently the action inside. My skin crawled as I realised everything we had been doing in the last thirteen day, all the talks we had, were being watched and recorded. I looked over at Ella, wondering if they knew about our escape plan but she didn't look back at me, her eyes focused on the guards in front of her but I knew she was thinking what I was.

We followed the guards down six more flights of stairs still in the formation; four lots of two guards in front of us, and six lots of two behind us. On the sixth floor down we got out of the staircase, even though it looked like it went on for miles below us. Even after the floor flattened out, we walked for God knows how long down corridors which were like mazes, cutting through rooms and going between the same rooms but it was impossible to tell where – it was just a maze of grey endless corridors with low lights with minimal furniture and furnishings in each room. Eventually we stopped outside a room which had a glow under the door, and a blue pad by the door.

The guard in front knocked on the door, and the blue pad went green.

'Go in,' The frontman guard told us, as the rest of the guards fell into position around the door so we couldn't run away. They made that message crystal clear. That, and the fact that whoever we're going to see is in charge.

'Thanks,' Ella said but meant everything else. She pushed the door to the room open and we walked in.

The door slapped shut behind us, a small buzz indicating the door was now locked closed. It took me a while to adjust to the darkness of the room. It was bare, black floors and black ceiling, with only a few lights around the room – cat eyes across the dark abyss. At the back of the room, a lone chair sat. An individual of a stockier build sat there, but his body language shouted "important" but I couldn't make out his facial features. Another man stood beside him, around six foot with glossy eyes.

'Lucy, it's been a while, hasn't it?' The man said to me and my heart sunk, along with any faith of the plan we had to escape today, and any hope that I may see Jason again. I knew who this man was, and I knew he wouldn't let me live again.

 **Chapter 35, Part 2 – Lucy**

My father stood in front me, his Cheshire cat like grin displaying the two rows of neat, pearly white teeth as my entire world started to collapse to pieces. I looked him up and down, and clearly he had aged in the seven years since I escaped his Kingdom, but kept up good appearances. No doubt to elude those involved in Kingdom that they were "safe" and it's the correct place to be. That's what I had thought. That the only Savant's that were in existences were in that building and it was completely normal for fathers to beat their kids senseless. I thought it was completely normal for fathers to sell their children to their friends for casual sex once they had reached the age. It was only in the years after did I realise how sick and twisted this man in front of me was and how many laws he must have violated. I contemplated contacting Jason, which might kill me but hey I was dead anyway now, and telling him not to bother coming for me because I'm not worth it.

'Go on then, contact this Jason bloke. I'd like to meet him,' Father scorned at me and I immediately threw up my shields, feeling added reinforcements from Ella.

'Now that's no fun,' He played back.

I watched as Brother, the man who was standing by his side crept from his position, around the edge of the room.

'You may be wondering why you are here, daughter of mine,' Father said as my gut dropped. I looked over at Ella to see her confusion. I had told her about my past, but I guess she didn't expect to find out like this. But before I could warn her, I noticed brother come up from behind, a cloth in his hand as he put it over Ella's mouth.

'No!' I shouted, running to go and help her but my body froze to the spot. However, I should have remembered that Ella had herself completely covered, and the second Brother tried to bring her to the floor, she hunched over and flipped Brother to the floor, using her elbow to hit his temple releasing his grasp on the cloth. Father just laughed.

'Ella, too, no wonders you escaped my little plot three years ago in Cornwall. I picked the wrong Benedict to mess with, that's for sure,'

I didn't realise my heart could sink any lower than it had at that particular moment. Ella had told me the story about how she met Joe – after she was evacuated from Maui headquarters in Guildford to Cornwall after she found out about a terrorist plot by Savant's that would have killed hundreds, including an entire elementary school full of children. They had been sent out there to remain quiet and safe but were anything but. Instead, they had managed to track her and Joe and they were on the run for over twenty days – whilst Ella was pregnant – to keep them off their tracks before blowing up their bombs. Both of the couple were badly damaged but Maui had thought everyone involved in that terrorist plot was assumed dead, arrested or had handed themselves in.

'That's the issue, though, I always chase after the wrong Benedict's. I thought you were a good enough target, being female and all, but I guess your brothers influence had a real big impact on you. You're basically male, that's for sure. I wonder how your boyfriend, Joseph, would think about that,'

I looked down at the floor trying to keep it together, and checked on brother out of the corner of my eye. He had blood running down his face from where Ella must have caught him at a bad angle but I didn't care. They were both dead to me.

A pair of shoes stopped in front of me and I tried to take in as much as I could; black shining patent leather, with a dark cream base, pointed at the end. Probably the first wear – the mark in the leather was still stiff and the sole was clean of any dirty. It was Fathers, that's for sure.

'My only daughter, you escaped me but you never left my eye. I always watched your moves, your school plays for your A-level, your flatmates. Dixon and Mara – odd names, aren't they?'

'You kidnapped twenty four people,' I growled at him. 'You're a monster,'

'And I killed thirteen before that, all just to get out a warning to you, but you're just too stupid to look at it,' I felt Ella by my side. 'I mean, you nearly had it Ella but even the smart one can't join the dots,'

'You murdered thirteen innocent people, abducted twenty four more for what? A warning? To who?' Ella said beside me.

'The thirteen was a warning, yes, however the twenty four girls, including you two are more pawns in a game of chess. Disposable and will make do for what I need,' Father said bitterly.

'And what do you need?' I asked him.

'You were never good at anything, Lucy, that sometimes I wonder if you do carry my bloodline. Such a disgrace to yourself, you really are girl,' For some reason, the words stung. 'The reason we are alive, Lucy, is to make money. That is what we need,'

'You murdered thirteen people for profit,'

'No. I murdered thirteen people to get the attention of people who'll make me the profit,' Father said, circling both Ella and I.

'What I am going to do, Lucy, Eleanor, is quite simple. You won't remember this conversation. You won't remember ever seeing me either. I am going to remove any memories you have of seeing me, and Brother, and the guards too. I will then tamper with the minds of every one of the girls apart from one. I will kill one, any one I like to keep up the trend, it'll be child's play. I will tamper with your mind so you don't remember any of this, but also you'll reject anyone you meet apart from the other girls. This tampering will remain permanent until the British Government give me what I want – all criminal charges dropped against me for another ten years, as well as a nice healthy cheque for half a billion Great British Stirling's and Maui to be shut down completely,'

'You can't do that,' Ella growled and Father simply slapped her across the face. She stepped forward to hit him back but he stopped her in her tracks.

'I can, and I will,' Father said to her, squeezing her face. 'Maybe you'll be the one I'll keep back here... no. I don't think you should be. We need you to make a statement. I'll keep one of the lesser girls – one of your flatmates perhaps, Lucy,'

'No, please,' I begged.

'Back to the days of begging, are we? Pathetic girl,' Father said, walking away and sitting back on his throne-like chair.

'I'll let you escape. I'll let you all get away. You won't remember this. You won't remember even fighting off your loved ones. But you'll do it anyway. I wonder how Maui will deal with that. Twenty three girls all fighting their family and friends, partners and children.' The last word was aimed directly at Ella and she gave him the dirtiest look. I knew Father's gift a bit too well – he can make you unable to speak, unable to move and unable to function like a human and that was exactly what he was doing to Ella at the moment. She was fighting it – you could tell by the small jerks of limbs and so on, but she couldn't do it quick enough.

'I'll bring you back to Kingdom before long, Lucy, you belong with... family,' Father whispered in my ear, running his hand over my waist as I cringed away from him, like he let his tank of snakes loose on me.

'I just wanted to see you, Lucy, that was all. I'll see you again soon,'

And with that, he made both Ella and I blank out.


	37. Chapter 36 - Jason

**Chapter 36 – Jason**

The hour car journey was done in silence, but neither of us was actively aware of it. We knew today would be painful and long, and we just had to hope we'd see our girls on the other side of it. I just had to hope Lucy knew what she was doing and wouldn't hurt herself at all, or even upset herself. She is just too fragile and I don't know how she's going to react to thirteen days in isolative captivity. For all we knew, they were locked in small rooms on their own with limited food and limited drink and I knew Lucy would not do well in that circumstance. I wanted her back, safe with me. Even if she decided to bugger me, as long as she'd be completely fine, I could be okay with that. It would kill me but I just wanted her safe.

But perhaps tonight she'd be with me, in my bed again and I would never leave her again. Ever.

We pulled into the underground car park under the medical base on the ground of Maui, where we had been advised to park today. They had already told us that if the girls came back safe some, who lived abroad, would be allowed to head home but would be in a quarantine-like zone for a few days in a safe house until they could actually go home. However, those who lived within the UK which included Ella and Lucy had to stay on site of Maui for a few days until they were safe, but we could stay with them. Joe had already said if Ella is okay, he's bringing Lily to stay with them as well. Within hours, the twenty four girls who had been kidnapped from England, America and Australia would be brought home on the thirteenth day. We didn't have time to mess up. We knew they were in the hands of a mass murderer who followed a strict pattern; on the fourteenth day they would be murdered. We didn't have time to mess about or go in for another take. It would just have to happen as the way we planned or we improvised – but there is no way I'm leaving there without all twenty four of the girls.

'How scared are you?' I asked Joe, wanting to know I wasn't alone in this as we got out the car, locking it behind us.

'Terrified,' He simply said back to me. He had a lot on the line. Well, I did too, but if Lucy was to die today she would just be my Soulfinder. If Ella died, Joe would lose the mother of his child, his wife to be and his unborn child too.

But no one will die, I had to reassure myself. What happened to this positive thinking I was meant to be doing? Lucy will be fine. Ella will be fine. Crystal, Sky, Dixon and Mara will all be fine. The rest of the girls will all be fine and safe tonight, back with their loved ones. Twenty four innocent people, seemingly kidnapped right within view of people they love will be returning home today and if that wasn't enough incentive to get my arse in gear I don't know what will be.

We climbed up three flights of stairs, across one of the atrium walkways and to the door of the Northern office suite. Joe hesitated outside, before turning to me.

'This might be painful for you,' he said simply, smiling slightly. I frowned at him but before I could ask why, he opened the door and I followed him in. I realised why immediately.

In the room in front of me, was what looked like my entire new-found family. I hovered in the door for a moment, unsure what to do as Joe had chosen this moment to leave me and walk over to his brother in laws. It felt like years I stood there under the watchful eye of the entire family for seventeen years, and in one swift moment they looked me up and down before turning towards Isaac. I had guessed Isaac would be the one to tell everyone that he had another son, a lot older than the rest of his children but it was the first time they had ever set eyes on me. However, I had started to see the similarities between us. By "similarities" I mean we looked identical – which probably helped speed things up with this process of accepting me as another nephew, or cousin. Isaac broke away from where his family was gathered. I looked over at what I could only guess was my step mother (was that how this all worked) and half brother and sisters. Whilst the kids still continued to play and talk or colour, the ages widely varying, the oldest child looked at me with what I can only describe as a frown, and Isaac's wife smiled at me fondly. Isaac came over to me, hugging me slightly awkwardly.

'You holding up okay, Jase? Sorry, Jason,' He corrected himself.

'Er, I guess,' I simply said.

'I couldn't imagine what I'd be like if this happened to Marsha,' Isaac said, pulling away from the hug. 'You want to meet your brothers and sisters, then? We still have time before you're leaving to Norway,' Isaac said and I looked back around the room; everyone else had started talking again and treated me like I was just another member of their family. Joe was talking to Ella's brothers, but I noticed him keeping an eye on me making sure I was okay.

'Yeah, okay,' I said to him and he led me over to the far table. In the room was about fifty people, but I wasn't to question why they were all there. I knew I had to wait for the clearance for myself, Joe and Michael to head over to Norway for our part of the rescue operations. I could understand Zed and Xav being here, too, as they had to wait like sitting ducks within Maui. I looked over at them two, my new cousins, and saw that whilst they were both trying to shrug it off they were terrified. Much like Joe – much like myself too.

'So, this is my wife, Marsha,' Isaac said, and the woman stood up. My only thought was Isaac was clearly batting way above his league, as Marsha was beautiful but in a model like way. Large chestnut eyes, curly brown hair that fell to the middle of her back but was pinned back simply with gripping pins, and even after seven children had an incredible figure still. Marsha grinned at me.

'It's lovely to meet you, Jason, Isaac has told me so much about you,' She said politely but my voice had disappeared and I just smiled back.

'Okay, then we have Penny,' He gestured to the two year old who was staring at me intently, and on hearing her name she grabbed her penguin toy and waved its fin at me. I grinned, the child reminding me of Lily but I felt a spear in my heart. I couldn't imagine what Lily was feeling at the moment. 'She's the youngest out of everyone, then Callum and Castra, the twins. They're both six now,' The next up the table was who I guessed were the twins; they sat next to each other and were doing everything in synced up movements, 'then you have Aidan, who's eight, Trisha who's nine nearly ten, April who's eleven and Marc who's thirteen,'

I roughly followed the kids in order up the table and I met eyes with Marc, who was clearly going through the early teenager stage of independence and wanting to be unique. He looked at me, huffing and rolling his eyes, before mumbling something and looking away from him.

'Give him time, he's pissed that his oldest child card has been revoked,' Isaac said, hitting my shoulder.

Isaac went to go and speak to someone else as I hovered awkwardly by the head of the table, next to Marsha.

'So, Isaac said you've already graduated from university,' She said to me politely.

'Er, yeah,'

'Have a seat, we're not going to bite,' Marsha said, pulling out a spare chair opposite Penny. I looked up the table and no one had any issues with me being there apart from Marc. 'Tell me about it,' She asked me.

'I went to Cambridge, and did a fast track Masters' degree in forensic science and criminal psychology, ended up with a 2:1 honours degree,' I said simply like it meant nothing. Marsha looked at me in shock.

'You went to Cambridge?' She asked in slight horror and shock.

'You study dead people, then?' Marc said, and I turned around. He had somewhat moved his chair to eavesdrop on the conversation.

'I went to Cambridge – I only applied for Oxbridge because my tutor said what's the harm in trying. But I can do all kind of things with my degree, but primarily I work in toxicology and post mortems, but often help Ella and Joe out in their deductive side of Maui,' I explained, and Marsha nodded Marc continued to look at me.

'You and Ella go back, don't you?' Marsha asked.

'We were best friends in preschool, yeah, but I got told she died in a crash. A year later I met Joe and it just ended up to be the biggest coincidence going,' I explained and Marsha nodded.

'Jason, Marc, can you just watch over the little ones whilst I nip to the toilet,' Marsha said and I nodded as she got up and disappeared out of view.

'You know, just because you're now around it doesn't mean you're the oldest in my family,' Marc said and I nodded.

'I get that,' I simply said.

'And it doesn't mean you can be apart of the family too,'

'Alright Marcy, let's give him a break for now shall we? He's got a lot on his mind,' Michael came to my aid, squeezing Marc's shoulders as he looked away from me in an apparent sulk. 'We've got the clearance,' He said to me and I nodded, scraping the chair back on the linoleum floor before inhaling deeply.

'Bye bye,'

I turned around wondering who had said that to see Penny staring up at me, waving the penguin fin on her at me again. I smiled at her.

'Bye bye,' She repeated.

'Bye,' I said back and she grinned at me, hiding her face in the toy. Whilst what Marc said really got to me, I turned back to him. 'Tell your Dad I'll call him when I'm back,' I said to Marc as he turned his back to me again.

'Tough crowd,' I simply said to Michael and he laughed slightly, walking around the back of the room with me and down some of the smaller stairs that led to the observation deck. I noticed Joe was already heading down the stairs with Xav and Zed in front of us.

'Give Marc time, he's going through his emo phase,' Michael said and I laughed slightly, nodding.

'Those were the good old times,' I said even though they were anything but.

'You say "good" you didn't see me,'

'You went through an emo phase?'

'Don't ever ask Ella to get the photos out or I will kill you.'

We walked onto the observation deck where about twenty others were gathered around all within the mission uniform; a pair of black shorts and a tight fitting black vest top with "MAUI" on the back in blue lettering. It wasn't the best looking thing we could wear, but I guess that wasn't really the point. The whole point was going to get the girls back. Cassian stood in front of us in the exact same uniform as us, even though I knew his posh ass wouldn't be going anywhere near a helicopter. That would mean his hands might get dirty with work, and his French manicure wouldn't hold up that. I knew it wasn't just me who hated Cassian with a passion, but many others also hated the assistant manager of Maui. Many also wanted Michael or Ella, or Jake, to become the assistant manager when Cassian retires in a year or two, and they were already in talks with Susan, the big boss, about it. It wasn't meant to be public but we all knew they were. The only issue was with Ella having Lily and her refusual to do anything without Joe meant she was a hard choice, Michael wouldn't do it without his sister and Jake now had three kids to look after too. If they were to take over from Cassian, it would be all three of them.

'Boys,' he said in the way of a greeting. 'You all ready to go now?' he said. No one said anything else.

'We're going three per helicopter, so when we get the girls back they'll go in six per helicopter. You cannot sit with the girls until they get health checked –'

'What do you mean we can't? That's bullshit,' Michael protested and everyone nodded with Michael. He took the words straight out of my mouth.

'Michael, I understand that you want to see your sister again,' Cassian protested.

'Yeah, so I will go back with Ella.' Michael protested. 'And Joe will go with Ella, and Jason will go with Lucy and the rest will go with their girls if they want too,' Michael stated.

'You're risking the operation now,'

'No, you want segregation for medical reasons for the girls, understandable, but these people have gone through weeks of worry knowing that their partners, sisters, mothers or nieces are in trouble and doing nothing about it. The girls will be so distressed, keeping them apart from everyone will not help them in the slightest. It won't risk the operation to get all the girls out.' Michael said. 'So we get on the helicopters to come back how it happens, and we'll get out of there. When we come back to base we'll let the girls get their medical checks and go from there,' Michael simply said, gesturing for us all to get into the hanger.

'You're not the boss yet, Michael, still a long way to go,' Cassian called and Michael just shrugged as he gestured for everyone to head up the stairs leading towards the Northern hangar.

'I think everyone might prefer me, though,' Michael said. I simply nodded – Hell yeah.

'You wouldn't be as much of a dick,' Joe simply said matter of factly. A few others started to agree, but we looked around and realised Cassian had walked off in what we could only assume was a sulk, so Michael had to take charge.

We arrived at the hangar a few moments later; within the Eastern side of Maui set towards the back, the hangar was mainly unused and set half below ground, half above. We knew the hangar was an incredibly safe base and was edging on the same strength as a nuclear bunker, and the ceiling would retract to let out the aircrafts. Maui wasn't strictly allowed to have their own air fleet, but had commandeered some of the old military helicopters and had done them up; and now had an impressive range of helicopters and four planes. The helicopters were moved from their stationary bays into the main hangar, where the ceiling was ready to be pulled back to allow take off.

The helicopters that were out were people carriers with medical equipment, and if I remembered correctly they were the same ones that took Ella and Joe down to Cornwall and picked them up when Joe was burnt and Ella was half dead. The capacity of the helicopter, excluding the pilot and co-pilot, could hold eight at the very max. I counted the helicopter – seven. That was more than enough to carry all the girls and the rest of the guys back here.

The first helicopter sat at the front of the group, with the six helicopters in pairs behind.

'Joe, Jason and myself will go up front, the rest of you go four per helicopter. The plans will have already been briefed to you, and if not it's on paper in the helicopters. We'll meet on the other side,'

Ello! So I've decided to keep writing for now but I dunno how I feel about this one - you guys have to keep letting me know or I will just stop writing. I know it seems quite attention seeking and I promise you it's not, but if you go based on Capturing Ella and this one too, these books I write aren't exactly short, especially if you want an extended epilogue like in Capturing Ella (which is Releasing Joe which is where you meet Lily and all the cute stuff happens) but I will only do that if you want too - that and the book after which has all the major stuff and sees some baddies return (Lucy's father may make a reappearance) in Michael's book but only if you want too! :D


	38. Chapter 37 - Lucy

**Chapter 37**

'How we are all so hung over when we have been sober for God knows how long,' Ella simply said. We were laying on the floor in the lounge, all of us with the worst hangovers known to man but without any consumption of alcohol. We had woken up in bed; last night spent watching Disney films, but with the worst headache, dry mouth and fuzzy memories. It was odd. But my brain was urging me to remember something – anything – because it didn't feel right. None of this felt right but why was another reason. I couldn't remember anything that would lead to this but there was something else there. My mind hurt knowing that, but it must just be my naivety.

'Yeah, some of us longer than others,' Crystal said with a pointed look at Ella.

'We didn't drink though, did we?' Phee asked and I shook my head.

'Other than diet coke, no,' I replied.

'So why are we hung over,' Ella moaned, rolling over. Ella was 100% more hung over than all of us were, but we didn't know why. It was a silent secret that she was pregnant and therefore she wouldn't drink. We knew that, which is why I think this didn't make sense. She was the best parent for Lily that Lily could ever have – joint with Joe. But she told me throughout her pregnancy which she knew about she did everything she could to keep her safe. Ella loved a drink or two but stopped, stopped doing everything she could have done that may have harmed her baby. I knew many others who do that as well, but still. So now she's knocked up with her second child, she would never even touch a drop of alcohol – so how was she hung over?

'Dunno,' Crystal mumbled. 'But we still have to go through with the plan,'

'Of course,' I whispered.

There was only two hours left until we were due to go. We weren't due to leave yet – and it was a carefully organised plan. Two hours to go, and we would force the corrugated metal doors open, break through a window in the kitchen and down the stairs to the basement, storm the vehicle holding taking a few cars and leave the sight. What could go wrong?

Quite a few things; the whole map was based on Ella's projection the one time she managed to break the shield to stop our gifts and mapped out wherever we are. From the kitchen you could break through the window to a massive deck, and from the other side of the desk there was a fire staircase that would head down to ground level, and through a fire door into vehicle holding. It holds everything from smart cars to Jeep's – we worked out we would need five cars and only those who were confident to drive would go ahead. Twenty three of the girls were all Savant's – Mara was the only one who wasn't. So, Ella would drive our car, with me in the front, Mara in the middle at the back with Crystal and Sky either side. Dixon would sit at the front of another car, and we would meet her at the end. We just needed to get off the sight we were in, and drive straight down the main road heading from Tromso heading East and Maui would meet us there. We didn't know much at all about what the guards would do when they saw us. We just hoped we would be okay.

'We're in this together, right?' I whispered.

'Of course we are,' Mara said, kicking my leg.

'In the words of High School musical – we're all in this together,' Dixon laughed slightly, playing with my hair softly.

We were fully dressed, shoes tied, waiting on the sofa. We didn't know if we were being watched or not so we had to do it subtly. We turned the TV on, pretending to watch it but was instead staring at the clock on the wall. When the clock turned four, that's when we would go. It was currently 3:59. We all watched the clock as the second hand crept past the ten second mark. The atmosphere was so heavy I wondered how we were all still breathing. Ella got up and walked over to the kitchen, running the tap to hide the noise. Slowly, she got a bobby pin, stretching it out straight. Telekinetically she moved it to the lock. The second hand passed thirty as the pin moved around in the lock – we heard clicks as she pushed back each tumbler pin. She pushed the sixth one in as the second passed the fifty mark. I poised on the hunches, ready to sprint to the door. Downstairs, I could hear some more clicking of metal where clearly the floor below were doing the same thing.

4:00:00pm.

We all flew into action as Ella lifted the door up telekinetically – and the five of us who remained on the sofas ran out the door, with Ella following up the rear.

'Everyone out?' Ella called, as we heard footsteps thundering down from the two floors above us, and the floor below us stationary too. We heard as the girls called their replies, the six who were on the floor above us came into view.

'The games on,' Ella said to me, grinning like a kid as we all started to barrel ourselves down the stairs. About thirty seconds we were all down into the kitchen. As Ella and some others started working on unpopping the window, I did a head count.

All twenty four of the girls, including myself, were in the room in various states of wellness. Most looked fine, but one girl was on the other side of the room leaning on another, pale and thin as a rake. Her eyes looked sunk into her face and she was staring at the floor. We were all in dark blue jeans, fake converse, a white tee and a denim jacket over the top, but the pale girls clothes looked a few sizes too big.

A crash was heard and I frowned, turning to look at Ella. She had got a spanner from on top of the fridge and smashed a hole in the window, before running it around in the hole a bit more as more parts of glass started to fall around.

'I got bored with patients,' Ella simply said and I laughed.

Single file, we all climb through the window waiting on the other side for everyone else. Third through, I had time to marvel where we had been living for the last thirteen days.

Where we had been living was in the middle of what were several floors of with the ceilings knocked through. The five floors we were on had one way glass around most of it; some in the lounge, some in the bedroom. None in the bathroom – Ella was right. That's where most of our plans were formed. Outside each floor was a deck – a balcony type design – around each floor. But no guards where anywhere.

As the last person came through the door, we all started to run towards the emergency stairs, Dixon leaving the front of the group to help the ill girl at the back of the group. Ella pushed open the door and an alarm started off, ringing loudly in our ears. Freezing water started falling from the ceiling as we all started to run down the stairs, in twos, not stopping for a breath. My foot slipped on one of the wet mossy slippery and Crystal caught my arm, yanking me back up as we continued.

Not long after we heard the sounds of guards running down the stairs, their steel toe capped boots creating harsh echo's in the corridor. But there was no screaming, or shouting, just organised running. Like they knew this was happening and just got told to mock us. They were about ten floors above us as we passed the ground floor, and Ella pushed passed the fire door again, and carried on another floor.

We broke into the vehicle hold, all of us taking a moment to breathe.

'We got everyone?' Ella asked, and I looked around.

'Dixon is missing,' I said and she frowned, double checking. 'She was helping the ill girl,'

'Karman, yeah,' Another girl added, looking back up the stairs.

'We're coming – get the car ready for us!' Dixon called, but the footsteps were catching up to them.

'It's the best we can do,' Crystal said but Ella hesitated.

'Er, find a car that goes quick then,' Ella said reluctantly looking around. She turned around, scanning the dark room which had a tunnel of light thing – obviously the exit out of this hell – at the far end. Her eyes then stopped on some Jeeps – large four by fours, and they were definitely capable of speed. I didn't even need to tell Ella to go for them, as she was already there. She quickly closed her eyes, and I noticed a puddle of water on the floor from a leaking pipe come towards Ella's command, start spinning as it started to turn to a weird state between ice and water before she sent it to the cars, and into drivers side. The water went into the key hole before it froze itself completely, and she made a small gesture in the air which then started all the four engines simultatiously. I dropped my mouth and looked at her – She said the only benefit of her ice making was ice lollies – this was a lot better than that.

'Ice lollies are better cause you can eat them,' Sky said to me, hugging me slightly.

'Let's go then,'

It didn't take long for all the girls to run to their cars; the respective drivers climbing into their seats. I got into the passengers seat, buckling up and Ella did the same. Without even thinking about it, she got the car rolling, and accelerated off, changing up into gear. She drove around the outside of the room, crossing the enterence before seeing off the other cars. The last car hung around for a second, just long enough to pull the injured girl into the car before driving away themselves.

'Ella, what are you doing?' I asked her shocked as she drove back to the fire exit where we just came down.

'Giving the others time to get away,' Ella simply said, as she done a donut in the middle of the floor 'Gah, always wanted to do that,'

Suddenly, the back windscreen shattered as we all ducked.

'They're shooting at us Ella,' Crystal said, digging down the well on her side of the door, finding what I could only guess as a fully loaded gun, as she turned out the back window and started shooting.

'Since when did you know how to shoot a gun?' Sky laughed at her.

'I have no bloody clue what I'm doing!'

'Pull down the yellow cap on the handle – it takes off safety so you'll actually fire the bullets,' Ella said, looking at her in the mirror. Crystal looked baffled as she did what she said. 'Holy crap don't point it at yourself you moron,'

'First time I've used one of these!'

'Fire, aim for the chest and shoot, be prepared to get a bad wrist too,' Ella said. The guards filled out into the room, some kneeling on the floor and some standing, all aiming their guns at me. 'Ah shit, didn't expect that,' Ella said as they started firing. She started to swerve the wheel backwards and forwards but the car was taking bullets from the heavy rain that we were under. 'Lucy, any chance you can extend your perspective shield so it's around the outside of the car?'

Everyone looked at me. I had never tried to make other objects invisible. Well, I lied, I had successes once in making my small cactus invisible. But that was three years ago and I had no idea how. But I could do it, I thought to myself. I can do this!

I closed my eyes, and imagined making myself invisible. I saw that shield as a light purple and translucent zigzag sheet across me, and imagined extending that sheet. I kept unfolding it, trying not to imagine it getting ant fainter as I kept unfolding it. I then threw it over the car, letting some of it drag on the shield.

'They can't see the car – it's working!' Sky called in the back.

'Lucy, keep doing what you're doing, alright?' Mara said, touching my shoulder as I heard Ella change up gear, change directions sharply as I assume she started to head for the exit. I could hear bullets hitting the concrete floor, a few on the car but as long as it didn't damage my blanket we were fine.

'Where have they gone?' I heard one guard call, and the stuttered cry of a female.

'You can run, but we'll keep your friend with us,' another guard called and I immediately opened my eyes to darkness. I wasn't too sure where we were, but I looked in front and saw light – we were in the tunnel heading out.

'They have Dixon!' Mara called and my gut dropped.

'We'll have to get the boys to get her, we can't risk going back,' Ella said, but through gritted teeth. I knew she wanted to head straight back in there and find Dixon and get her out but it was suicide if we went back in. I knew that. Mara knew that. We all knew that if we went back in to get Dixon, we would be dead too. At least if we let them think we left her, she might be alive for when the boys come and get her in twenty minutes or so.

 _Dixon, we won't leave you. We love you,_

I told her telepathically, looking back in the rear view mirror one more time to see Dixon, crying and doubled over being held up by three guards who roughly dragged her away.

Ten minutes of deadly silence later, we were on the main road heading to what felt like nowhere. The cars in front never made a stop to try and find us, so at least we knew they probably got to safety and would send us help to come and get us, or at least tell them we're safe but we'll be slightly late.

My body was filled with the excitement of seeing Jason again. Thirteen days had dragged, leaving me hollow and lacking emotion but knowing within the next hour we would be together again made me sit on the edge of my seat. Within the next hour I would be safe next to him. I just wanted to feel him again me, hear his voice again. It sounds weird, but I just wanted him to hug me tight and tell me everything would be okay. He'd have to go and get Dixon back before I could fully relax, but by tonight we'd be back at his house in England, curled up on his bed hugging. I wouldn't tell him about the awful experience but I would just keep him close, carefully examine every part of his body so I would never forget what he looked like, letting my hand explore every crevice so I would engrain him into my memory like carbon paper. Never again would I let him go, though. If he thought I would leave his side, even for work or to nip down the shops for some milk, he was deeply wrong. I dunno how I would do it, but I would slowly hint to him that I want to move in. I don't know if he would let me, but I want to be with him. I want to – one day – get married to him and have our own family. Jason came from nothing to everything very quickly, and the catalyst was this whole kidnapping.

I love Jason, I realised with weight. I love him.

Trying to hide the grin that had come across my face, I covered my mouth with my hand and looked out of my side window at the trees that were going past at speed – Ella had dropped the speed to forty, but had remained constant. But something caught my eye in the distance. A man in a suit was standing among trees, and I could just see the white of his smile. I opened my mouth to say a warning but it was too late.

The man gestured to the car, and the car went spinning off the road, rolling over into the grass as my head hit the side door with such an impact, I blacked out.

 **Hello!**

 **So I've decided to continue with the third book which is about Michael, who I still have yet to develop but I'm expecting him to be the extremely over protective guy who everyone thinks is an asshole but is very nice - but do you want to do be from duo-perspective (so some from his Soulfinder and some from Michael, like Capturing Ella and of course this) or do you want it just to be from the girls P.O.V? I'm really unsure and any feedback - even if it is through private messaging would be so useful! Thank you to everyone who has reviewed too, it really has given me the kick up the ass to keep going! :)**


	39. Chapter 38 - Jason

Chapter 38 – Jason

'Four cars ahead!' Someone called from the back of one of the benches we had set up. We all turned around to frown at him, before seeing what he was seeing; four large Jeeps coming down the road. We were just getting briefed on what to do now if the girls hadn't showed up but this looked hopeful. I looked at Joe beside me, but he didn't look happy. He has what I guess is a game face, a happy face and a "that's not what we think," face – and it was the latter he had on now. He shrugged his gun – the size of a bazooka – over his shoulder after putting the safety clip on, and walked towards the road. I unclipped the magazine from my smaller gun, pushing it down my waist as I followed him.

'Stay right where you are!' the same man called as the cars slowly crawled to a stop. We had set up a road block, where normal civilians were allowed to pass through, but with a plan of action. At least this way, we could filter out the girls. The jeeps indicated onto the grass beside us, and pulled to a stop. 'Get out the car – now!'

And they did – the doors from each car flung open and the girls came out of each car, arms above their head and moving slowly. We realised they were not under duress of any kind, and were here because they managed to escape and ran over to help them. Two things hit my mind instantly; one they were all wearing matching clothes – blue jeans, white shoes, white top, lighter blue cardigan jacket and some had a scarf and the second, Ella, Lucy, Crystal and Sky weren't among those who came out of the car. Neither was Mara or Dixon – Lucy's roommates. I helped one of the smaller girls get behind the barricade and into one of the medical tents as she started to sob.

Most of the girls were silent, in shock, but one or two had started to speak, their words overlapping each other.

'We were in this awful building – locked away in what was like university dorms – we only had five others in the room –'

'Everyone thought they were going to die, there was no way to contact anyone –'

'Then we found a piece of paper with instructions in the fridge and just trusted them, someone got us out,'

'Was there a fifth car?' I asked the girl who I was sitting with. I recognised her from her missing persons file – the youngest girl who was kidnapped at just thirteen. She was shaking, her hands clutching the bottle of water tightly but not opening it, her eyes were glazed over.

'Yeah, they stayed back to make sure we can go safely,' she whispered her words barely audible.

Joe, who was behind me and overheard what we said got up and gestured for me to do the same. Michael saw our movements and met us outside.

'So – we either wait or meet them half way.' Michael said.

'They could be in trouble – I can't just wait for them,' Joe said and I nodded. Knowing that Lucy could be at risk and would need help was more than enough to get me wanting to move. Even if we saw the car and did a U-turn to follow them back here, it would be more than waiting here for them to show up.

'Take one of the cars they just came back in,' Michael said, ' if you need anything else, get hold of me,' Michael said, heading back into the tent. Joe looked at me or a second before jogging over the car. I raced him over, getting to the drivers door side as he frowned at me.

'I'm more composed than you are at the moment,' I simply said to him, getting in the car as we spoke, and he didn't argue. He simply shrugged and got into the passenger side of the Jeep, putting on his seatbelt.

I observed the car as I got in; and I could only say the person who owned the fleet was clearly loaded – the car was new, pristine and perfect condition. I looked around, seeing a few unmarked buttons on the dash but I knew better to press than them – if they were unmarked it was because it didn't have a printed icon on it so it wasn't a normal function. Chances are the girls couldn't use their gift because something was masking it – Ella had got around it somehow but it was only temporarily. These buttons on the dash were probably the reason. They had worked out how to stop Savants in their tracks and it would only be logical to put the same technology on their vehicles.

It wasn't long before I started the car up, getting the hang of the clutch and did a U-turn, heading back down the deserted road at a speed.

'I'm going to simply say this; Lucy is never leaving my side again,'

'I tried doing that to Ella,' Joe said, looking out the window. The tone immediately darkened and Joe realised he said it with a menacing tone. He frowned. 'It works brilliantly with toddlers, though.'

'I bet, how is she doing?' I asked.

'Okay. She seems better now she knows we're doing something about it, but it was still weird how she knew where she was and what was happening,'

'Perhaps it's her gift?'

'We think that too – but normally the gift starts developing properly at five or so. Until then, it's a guessing game. They can show many signs of different gifts but you just kind of have to wait it out,'

'Right,'

'But of course if you encourage your kids to use their gift and it is completely normal, they'll be a lot more capable and know what they can do –'

'I never used my gift when I was a kid,' I simply said and Joe nodded.

'Or until a months ago, that's when you started using it properly. But because you never knew, it just remained hidden. It's probably why you never had a headache that wasn't caused by alcohol or injury, you never had a nosebleed or you never bruised. You were always using your gift, you just weren't doing it consciously,'

'I guess,' I replied back, everything falling into place. I was clumsy, and always injured myself but never had any marks to show for it. I guess if I could heal myself, it would make a lot more sense.

'Wait – over there,' Joe said, pointing to the grassy verge. I frowned, braking the car to slow down. On the verge, a car laid on its side, the engine hissing as it started to smoke. My gut dropped when I realised the car was one identical to this and realise that we hadn't passed the girls yet. I had barely stopped the car when Joe undid his belt and jumped out.

The car they were in had crashed, with the engine catching fire. It was only a matter of time before the entire car caught fire, and the girls inside would be engulfed too.

'Shit – get Michael,' I said, jumping out of the car. Joe held his hand out to me, and I stopped dead. Without a second glance at the car, I watched in amazement as it rolled itself back over. My jaw dropped when I realised it was Joe using telekinesis to do that. I could barely move a bag of flour and he was moving cars that weight over a tonne plus the five passengers like he was lifting the toilet seat. I didn't know if I should be scared of my best friend, or strangely amazed.

'He's on his way, we need to get the girls out,' Joe said immediately jogging to the drivers side of the car. I copied his behaviour, but to the passenger's side.

Lucy was the first one I saw, and my heart dropped. She looked like she was asleep, but the way her body hung proved she was unconscious. A trickle of blood came from a cut on her cheekbone, and another small bit of blood from her mouth and I knew the latter was never a good sign. I quickly took off her seatbelt, pulling her out of the wreckage and focused on the blood that made its way over her chin before closing my eyes slightly, trying to remember what Xav had told me about using his gift. I let my brain scan her body and her injuries sprung to mind immediately. A fractured tibia and dislocated knee of the left side, broken rib which was putting pressure on her lung but not puncturing it but had cut its surface slightly, and a cut on the inside of the cheek where she had bit it. I frowned, kissing her forehead as I moved with my eyes closed, hoping not to walk into anything trying to fix the problems she had. No one was going to hurt my girl – the bastards. They'd never hurt her again. No one will.

'Jason,' Joe said, kneeling on the grass a few feet away from the car but was looking at me. Ella was lying on the floor where he had just put her down. 'Whilst what you are doing is amazing, can you do it after the girls are out of the car that's about to explode?'

I looked back to the car, and the other three unconscious passengers in the back seat, and then at the engine as it was making a horrible noise. I nodded as Joe ran back to the car, forcing one of the bent back doors open, half by brute strength and the other with his mind. Could he lift an elephant? I wondered. Had to take him to London Zoo one day to try.

'I won't leave you, Lucy, ever again.' I whispered to her, putting her down next to Ella. They both looked dead, but we could just make out the rise and fall in their chests through their blood stained white shirts.

'Jason?'

I turned around in my hospital chair to see who was talking, and saw Michael leaning against the door. I had no idea when he had got there, or how he opened the incredibly loud squeaky door so silently that I didn't hear, but it was enough to scare the absolute shit out of me. It had been twenty two hours since we had found the totalled car in Norway which contained the five girls; Lucy, Ella, Crystal, Sky and Mara. Once Michael arrived with another car, we managed to get the girls into the respective cars, straight back to the helicopters and load them onto two different ones and let the first aid teams try and stabilise their conditions. I had managed to somehow heal most of their internal injuries when I was panicking about Lucy, but the superficial cuts and burns needed tending too. The team of medics had stabilised their breathings – something I couldn't do, but it was clear some of the girls were worse off than others. According to Michael, the car wasn't flipped at high speeds but it wouldn't add up with the speedometer which has broken and froze when the car was impacted. It seemed like someone, like Joe did, lifted up the car, moved it over to the grass side, and thrown down at speed – but not rolled over at 55mph. The driver's side went down first – and Ella and Sky, who were on that side, had the worst injuries to show for it. Sky had a few broken bones and cuts – all of which were now fixed and Ella had a few broken bones too but had to be tubed to help her breathing as her lung was punctured. However, at the moment, none of the five girls had woken up.

'Can you come with me for a second mate?' Michael asked and I looked back at Lucy – the last time I left her in a hospital ward it was how we got in this mess to start with. 'You'll be able to watch over her still, we're just going outside to speak,'

Reluctantly, I got out of my chair and headed towards the door which Michael held open for me. Only as I came through the door, Joe came out of the door opposite and looked straight through the window. The door to Lucy's ward closed silently again as I watched what was happening in Ella's room.

She had just been taken off her breathing tube, the army of machines still attached to her though. Lucy, in that respect, was lucky. Everything had been removed apart from the arm band for blood pressure, little ECG monitors for her heart rate and a saline drip. Lily had joined Ella in her bed, but the toddler was sitting up right with a pad of paper and some pencils drawing intently with her tongue sticking out.

'As you both are acutely aware, it's day fourteen.' Michael said, drawing out attentions back. 'We have twenty three of the twenty four girls back in our hands. The five that are in hospital, the rest are all in isolation in different places on Maui,'

'Wait – twenty three?' I asked. One girl was missing.

'Who's the one who's missing?' Joe asked and we didn't need to say that they would probably be dead by now.

'Dixon. Lucy's roommate,' .


	40. Chapter 39 - Lucy

**Chapter 39 – Lucy**

There is this very prominent vibe to being in hospital, and normally you can only feel it if you're aware of it. I know it sounds crazy, but whenever I had to go back to Maui for my doctor's checkups for my eating disorders or just weight checks they had to always give me a small dose of anaesthetic and knock me out before dragging me in or I'll get too scared and faint. But I always knew I was in the hospital because of the slight aura it had around it. The rooms were fake – that was the only way my fractured brain could comprehend it. The walls were white and crisp, the floor shining and so clean you would willingly eat your dinner off it and the smell of fake flowers lingered, and whilst the room seemed perfect and kempt, you knew the hidden secret behind each room. The cries of families as their loved ones took their last breath, or the switch of life support turned out. The blood falling from gaping injuries to the floor, their life blood slowly draining from them as more continues to drip to the grey floor, creating puddles. Walls that had seen all kinds of secrets within its four walls, from confessions of adultery to confessions of love, fear and panic but only to be held in those walls. How can a room so cheerful hold such secrets? It was the eerie feeling that surrounded me and my brain forced me to recollect what was happening around me. I wasn't dead; thankfully. I felt numb, and so very cold, and in pain but it was more of a dull pain than anything.

Gently I started to move each limb accessing the damage. Left leg was absolutely fine, right leg there was a slight twinge on my ankle. I wiggled my hips and sure enough there was no pain. Taking a deep breath in the agonising pain of a broken rib set home. Right elbow, left elbow, right wrist all seemed splendid, left wrist was twisted but it was okay. I shook my head and was good. I just had a killer headache. Huh – after a massive car crash in a Jeep and high speeds that was all the injuries I got?

'You finished dancing yet?' I heard someone close to me say, and I smiled as I opened my eyes. Jason was sitting to my right, holding my hand as I squinted against the lights. Someone hit the dimmer on the lights so I could open my eyes against the dullest settings but I wasn't focusing on the lights anymore. I was more focused on my Soulfinder in front of me. His fluffy brown hair was going in every which direction, and his soulful brown eyes shone as he looked at me with a soft smile.

I jumped forward out of bed and onto him, wrapping my arms around his neck as my legs stuck awkwardly to the wipe clean surface of the hospital bed. Jason quickly put his arms around my waist, hugging me to him even tighter as he buried his head in my shoulder, kissing my cheek as he did so.

'Are you okay?' I asked him immediately as I let go of him, lying back down in bed. Jason quickly poured me a glass of iced water, sticking in the black straw but I noticed his hands were shaking slightly. The room was delightfully warm; it was mid June but the temperatures were reaching mid twenties and even into the high twenties. 'Why are you shaking?'

'You've just been in a crash in a military vehicle after being missing for twelve days, on the edge of being murdered and you ask me if I am okay?' Jason asked, handing me the glass. I frowned at it; not quite comprehending what he wanted me to do with it. Gently, he took my hand and wrapped it around the glass, carefully removing his grasp leaving the full weight on me. I struggled with it slightly and his hand darted back as he realised how weak I was.

'You look tired,' I said softly but it wasn't a lie. The bags under his eyes showed me he had been awake for ages, probably waiting for me to wake up safe. 'Don't lie, how long have you been up.'

'A few days now.' He said, putting the glass back down again as he held my hand, rubbing his thumb up and down the rough scabbed side of my palm. 'Once it was getting close to the fourteen day mark Joe and I stayed up trying to track you down any way we can. Ella must have nearly killed herself projecting under duress to give some form of latitude and longitude and even then it was in the middle of nowhere – even after Ella told us. Lily narrowed it down for us, though,' He said.

'Lily?'

'Yup. She kept saying the sad people had Mummy so Joe listened but not too much, I mean she's three. But Lily kept saying the _sad people_ had Mummy, and they were very sad when they were the same age as her. Joe asked if she knew where the _sad people_ were, and Lily managed to track them down a bit further. We arrived a few minutes after the Jeep crashed.'

'A three year old tracked us down?' I asked in shock. Jason just nodded.

'We would not have found you if it wasn't for her,'

'Wow – is everyone else okay though? You got to Dixon wherever we were, right?' I asked, following the line of my IV drip with my eyes, the loops and kinks and the little monitor that drips through the saline into my body. But silence filled the room. Jason couldn't answer the question. 'Jason – please say everyone is okay?' I almost begged of him but he couldn't meet my eye. 'Everyone's alive?'

'Everyone's accounted for apart from one, we searched the military base thousands of times after we got your home, through each secret passage that labyrinth held but one name remains missing.' Jason explained softly, holding my hand. 'We couldn't find Dixon,' he whispered to me.

'What?' I whispered, looking at him 'What do you mean you couldn't find her – you were right there. Jason, this isn't funny. This isn't a joke!' I yelled at him as I started to shake. I rolled over in my hospital bed, causing a kink in my IV drip as I clutched my head, tears working their way into my eye ducts.

'Lucy,' Jason strained. 'We know Dixon was there, her name was on the ransom list but she's the only one who didn't show up when you all did,'

'She stayed back at the...' I whispered. Tears had started to stream down my face heading towards the flat pillow, their warmth welcome as the world lost all of its temperature and meaning. Dixon was missing. Dixon was still in the grasps of whomever had taken me and all the other girls two weeks ago. Dixon was in grave danger, and probably all because Ella and I hatched an escape plan! What if she got hurt and it was my fault because we didn't go back to get her – because we valued ourselves over her.

'Jason, please say she has time, please.' I begged of him as he came around and kneeled in front of my bed but the look in his eyes confirmed his answer before he said it.

'It's gone past the fourteenth day,' He whispered, finding my hand but I yanked it away as I lost it. I wanted to throw everything around, demanding they send out everyone to find my best friend, only one of three people who cared about me before Jason came into my life. She didn't deserve just to be left to die! But instead, I went hollow. I curled up, sobbing. I pulled out the IV lines from my hand. Empty sounds left my chest as my nose started running all over my hospital pillow. This was not attractive crying, this was the pain crying. I had lost my best friend. I couldn't believe it – this was all lies. This just had to be complete bullshit! Jason is just playing an evil trick on me, isn't he? I looked up at him but he was watching me with a tear running down his cheek. Jason never normally shows emotions when he's concentrating so this was sincere. I grabbed his arm, pulling him towards the bed as he climbed onto the bed and I rolled over, using him like my own personal giant tissue hugging him tight. It took me forty odd minutes for me to cry myself out, but it didn't stop the hollow feeling that was drumming itself in. He ran his hand up and down my spine, holding my arm and cooing to try and get me to stop crying.

'I'm sorry,' He said to me.

'I don't believe it,' I whispered wiping tears from my eyes.

'I know,' Jason said softy as the silence set.

'Is everyone else accounted for?' Jason nodded. 'And is everyone okay? Ella, Crystal, Sky and Mara – they're all okay?'

'I don't know if telling you this will help you at all,' Jason said and I looked up at him as he bit his lip. I frowned at him.

'Nothing worse can happen now, please, just tell me everything,' I begged of him and he held my hand tight.

'We found all the four cars first – we set up a road block and they pulled themselves over. We got them medically checked and they all seemed okay – dehydration was a common issue, a few cuts and bruises. Broken bones from falling over but nothing were too bad. We got told your car was further behind, so we went to find it. It had crashed by the time we got there, and you were all wrecked up badly. Unconscious. Everyone inside was unconscious with various degrees of injury. We did what we could to help everyone; thankfully you were all still breathing. You and Ella had the worst of the injuries as it was the side the car landed on – broken bones and everything and we flew you all into here. I worked my black magic on you, so you should be fine, and Ella's brother worked his on her fixing her up real good, the rest of the girls weren't too bad. They're all... sorted now,' Jason explained and I nodded, focusing so hard on his words that my ears could bleed, trying to get rid of Dixon in my brain who was haunting me like a poltergeist.

'Worse than telling me my best friend is probably dead?' I snapped and he looked up at the ceiling. 'Sorry, it's not your fault, please don't leave me though.' I pleaded, knowing I couldn't make it through this without Jason there. Jason or Matthew, but I was more leaning toward Jason. He became my everything and this would prove to me how much he loved me, and if he did like he claimed. I needed Jason, so much, I needed him.

'Oh God,' he said kissing my forehead again. 'When you were – wherever you were – they done something to your brain. Yours, Ella's, Crystal's and Sky's. They woke up before you, they kept you under for longer, and when they woke up without any aesthetic they just went ballistic at their other halves. Completely lost it at them. Screaming, kicking, and shouting at them to get out. They had to all be sedated and they're arranging separate lodgings for you two in Central London – they're not telling us where – until they can figure out why they're acting like that.' Jason explained.

'But I'm not trying to kill you,'

'You're still under a lot of medications, love, but you have the exact same brain ticking's as Ella, and Crystal, and Sky. The second you sleep it off, you'll wake up trying to kill me,' He explained and I shook my head. No – I would never.

'I wouldn't,'

'No, love, you wouldn't. Whatever they planted in your head will, though.'

'Ella, Crystal and Sky all flipped?'

'Yeah, it was horrific and terrifying. I wasn't there for Crystal and Sky, but I heard Ella yelling at Joe. I've never seen her angry, pissed off yeah, but never angry and then suddenly she was attacking Joe telling him where to shove it. Joe had to sedate Ella himself and he hasn't been the same ever since. It's the safest place for all you lot at the moment, away from all of this.' I heard it as more "keep you away from harming anyone".

'Wait – they can't separate Ella and Lily!' Ella just wanted to have Lily and Joe back, and now she had them but something made her flip one at Joe and now she's lost them both again.

'They have. Ella was seen as dangerous around Lily, so Joe will have the full custody of Lily until we figure out what is happening in your head. They'll arrange times that Ella can see Lily, though, but Joe can't be there or she'll flip again.'

'I'd do the same to you,' I whispered.

'Yeah,' Jason said, nodding, and I hugged him tighter. I was as confused as to how this was happening and more importantly how it was happening so fast. Dixon was still missing. Dixon had gone missing in the first place at the same time and date as everyone else went missing. Dixon's fourteen days were nearly up, and there had been exceptions to the timings yet. Fourteen days were up, body found two days later dead. I couldn't imagine it. Dixon's pale, dead body. Her messy blonde hair that was always knotted and frizzy would be blood ridden whenever they found her body – her pale skin almost translucent but painted grey and covered in stab wounds and blood. She was just another victim to the mass murderer, like we were all going to be but we got out of there, leaving her behinds in the hands of the guards. She would never finish her degree from the Open University – the one thing she wanted was now taken out of her hands by a premature death.

And now they had done something to our brains making us want to kill our Soulfinder. I was bypassing the stage as still high on drugs but when I wasn't I would want to kill Jason. I looked at him, as he looked down at me in silence, but the look on his face just showed complete heartbreak. Would I ever want to kill him? I couldn't imagine it. I love him. I realised what I had just thought, rolling the word over and over in my brain. I love him.

'I love you, Jason,' I whispered, holding him so tight I wondered how he continued to breath. It was weird, saying that out loud for the first time and meaning it but there was like a silent calm spread over the room and even though it was momentary, it was wonderful and bliss.

'I love you too, Luce. Go to sleep, now, baby, I'll see you again when this is all over.' He whispered ever so softly and he was struggling to hold back his emotions.

'I don't want you to leave, Jason, please don't leave me like everyone else. Please, stay. I won't flip, I promise! Please!' I begged him as he rubbed his eyes.

'I know you won't Lucy, I love you to bits and I know you would never, ever hurt me. It's whatever parasite they planted in your brain will, though.'

'Please Jason,' I whispered. 'You can't let me go, I won't come back, I won't see you again! Please Jason,'

'Lucy, listen love,' Jason said, taking charge. 'I love you, right, you will come back when we figure out how to take away the shield or whatever is making you guys attack your Soulfinder, It won't be too long hopefully then you'll be straight back with me. After that, whatever you want you are having. If you want to leave me, fine. If you want to move in, that's perfect or if you want to move to Australia I am coming with you. When you come back, I will do anything for you. If you want to get married, we'll get married there and then, and if you want kids then that is what will happen. Lucy, you are everything to me and this is ripping us apart but we are strong enough to get through it. They will give you a new phone, and I'll add my number to it if you feel you're okay with contacting me, but Lucy it's only for a few days. I love you, baby, I really do,' He said, hugging up to me.

'Please, Jason, please, you can't leave me,' I begged him, holding onto a handful of his shirt like it would prevent him from leading me. Jason sighed, holding my hand over the top but looking at the IV line, before a dial telekinetically moved behind me and the world started to fuzz at the edges.

'I won't ever leave you alone. You'll be with Ella, Crystal and Sky for now and once we find a way to reverse it you'll be straight back to me. I love you, Lucy, I love you.' He whispered as the world started to blur out, becoming more and more fuzzy around the sides. Slowly, the fuzzyness filled the middle, like a toddler in a colouring book. My cries and protests became mute against the drug that Jason turned up came flooding into my system, and I became like a rag doll one again, and the last thing I saw as the darkness welcomed me was Jason finally loose it and he started to cry, covering his face with his free hand.


	41. Chapter 40 - Jason

**Chapter 40 - Jason**

I walked down the trailing hallways of the hospital room trying to find my way to the family room where I knew Joe and Lily would be. Xav and Zed had already called it quits, heading back to their hotel room to rethink the events that had happened within the last forty eight hours; events none of us had prepared for. I had lost it after Lucy had gone under again, crying with her in my arms until it was completely out of my system. I knew the time for their flights to Central London and come and gone before Lucy had even woken up but I begged Susan to at least give me the chance to explain to her what was happening or she'd never trust me again and she done what she could. She said I could have ten minutes with her before I had to administer the aesthetic to knock her out myself. The ten minutes had turned into nearly an hour as she cried for so long about her best friend, who's been presumed dead. But those last minutes did absolutely fuck all for me apart from breaking me further; she just looked so confused and tired and when I told her about Dixon she lost it. Distressed would be the understatement of the year. When I explained everything to her, her heartbreaking pleas to let her stay almost killed me off too. Eventually, after she was out in my arms I had to climb out of the bed, writing her a letter, putting it in the small gift I got her in her bag, before putting a smaller piece of paper in her jeans telling her where to look – a move I knew she wouldn't like me doing when she wasn't conscious but it was the only way for a letter to get down to London with her and I hoped she saw it that way.

I knocked on the door of the fourth family suite; opening the door and saw Joe sat there in the middle of the sofa alone, with a sleeping Lily in his arms. I noticed the way Joe was holding her, and it seemed a bit tighter. I knew if he didn't have Lily, or Lily had gone with Ella, he would not be this calm.

'How was it?' Joe whispered to me, his voice strained.

'Horrific,' I whispered back and he nodded resting his cheek against Lily's crown of her head. 'How'd Lils take it?'

'Confused. She cried, saying she just wants Mummy back and I was so close to breaking.' Joe whispered over the top of her head. 'I want Ella back too,'

'That wasn't her telling you too –' I said and Joe immediately nodded. The things that Ella had said to him weren't her. She would never tell someone to kill themselves, and 100% not even Joe. The words wouldn't even cross her mind. Not only that, it was like a programme –a script. Sky and Crystal had said the exact same things to Zed and Xav but even though they know it wasn't their Soulfinder's speaking, it had still come out of their mouths whilst they were attacking them. It had broken them all in different ways. I was so glad Lucy had never got to that stage, but it seemed like two different kinds of awful; one was her begging me to stay as I knocked her out, and the other would be her yelling at me to die as she tried to strangle me.

'I know,' He said, adjusting Lily. 'Want to go home?' He said and I nodded.

'Can I stay over yours, though?' I asked. I didn't want to be alone to think on the events that had just happened. We could just about here the blades of the helicopter that was carrying four heavily sedated Soulfinder's to their new flat in Central London whilst we figure out a way to save them all.

'Of course – we're not spooning though,' Joe said, and I smiled slightly.

'Sure we are, you love it really.' I joked, picking up the holdall that was on the floor as he changed the way he was holding Lily so he could carry her out to the car. I don't know how long of a drive it is from Birmingham medical centre for special forces back to Windsor where he lived, but it must be about two hours and that was on top of the emotional drain he just had. How he was still going I don't know.

How any of us were still coping was another massive question - we had witnessed the most important people in our lives trying to kill us, and all pretended we were fine even to each other. But I think the worst thing was that we all knew everyone else was lying, and we knew how everyone felt but we didn't want to speak about it. We didn't want to remember the incidents we just saw, so we didn't show our true emotions to it and just bottled it up.

The car journey home was done in silence, with just the events of the last two and a bit weeks sitting on us. We had hoped of a romantic meeting of hugs and kisses and God knows what else, and instead we got shouting and verbal abuse, and I got tears from my Soulfinder begging me not to go. I had hurt Lucy, I realised with a sinking feeling. I had hurt Lucy a lot. I wouldn't blame her if she wouldn't forgive me. Nibbling the edge of my thumb, I realised that before I met her, my life had been bland and now I might have given her up and I had no idea what I could even do with myself now.

* * *

Hello! It's me again!

I still don't know what to do about this. Do I continue writing or just give up? I never get any reviews anymore and it's kind of tricky because I don't know if you guys are enjoying it or so on. I don't know what to do about the third book; if you guys want it I will write it but I kinda don't want to to write it if no one will read it. I know people have messages me saying they want to see more of Michael but he's quite an awkward character in regards to getting him in the plot which is why I wanted him as the subject of the next book. What do we all think? What should I do?


	42. Chapter 41 - Lucy

**Chapter 41 – Lucy**

I was getting sick and tired of waking up places that I don't remember ever coming too. I was also getting pretty pissed off with how much I was unconscious for, because the side effects were nasty and it meant something bad was happening. But there was a dull feeling in my soul now and for two reasons I knew; because Dixon was missing and Jason had left me. I rolled onto my side, the piano music comforting me as I started to cry. Dixon was missing – unaccounted for. That was the word they had used when talking to me. Jason has said Dixon was unaccounted for. I still remember her, crying, being held up by guards as we sped away from her. Unaccounted. Missing person. I knew we were taken by the person responsible for the fourteen day abduction before murder and it must be well past the fourteen days. Soon, Dixon's missing person case would be ruled as homicide and she would be gone. A funeral would be held, and she would slip out of my grasps forever. I will remember her though, but would I? People say death is a weird thing, because those who lose a loved one will over time start forgetting about them. First, how they used to say things, their accent – that would be the first thing to forget. Then how they used to hold them – the way Dixon used to hug me and rock me side to side vividly when she was happy. Eventually, I would forget how she looked and photographs would be reminders and soon I would just feel empty when remembering her. For now, though, I could sob into my pillow. My best friend was probably dead because of my selfishness. I cared more about the life of me than I did about her – I could have made the car turn around and pick her up, but I didn't. _I was the reason she was dead._ No – I couldn't blame myself for this. I wasn't the reason she was dead. We were all abducted and put on a ransom. If we weren't abducted, none of this would have happened. I can't blame myself for this, and I can't feel guilty either.

But Jason had left me, I remembered that. I remember his crying face as he had to administer more anaesthetic to knock me out. It was for our own safety, but I begged him not to leave. He said I could have anything and I wanted him to stay but he didn't.

I opened my eyes, taking in the room I was in. It was lovely; cream walls with a deep burgundy carpet. There was only one bed in this room – the one I was in with the covers pulled up, and beside me was a bedside cabinet with a lamp on top, switched on. There was a clock underneath telling me it was ten past ten. A photo on the wall showed a beach on a summer's day, some tourists dotted around as coloured pinpricks among the sand and on the cliffs edges. There was a gap at the bottom of my bed, and on the wall side of that gap was a dresser. The wall to the left of the bed was a built in wardrobe with three bags lined up neatly among them, and the door next to them was closed.

I kicked off the duvet, stretching before curling back into myself when I felt a piece of paper crunch and crinkle in my jeans pocket. I frowned – I never keep anything in my pockets. The movement of even my own hand going into fabric pockets was enough to make me want to hide but I had to do it to get the piece of paper out. On my right side front pocket, I fished out a piece of paper that was still neat apart from the few folds and opened it.

 _Hey Lucy,_

 _I'm sorry I had to put a note somewhere you didn't like when you wasn't conscious. I knew you wouldn't approve, and I'm so sorry again. I hope you're settling in okay and aren't feeling too bad. There's a small parcel at the bottom of your blue rucksack I brought for you. Also, on the reserve is my phone number – call me or text me whenever you need me if you feel like you can. If you don't want too, I understand. But remember I will always love you._

 _Jason xx_

I flipped the piece of paper over, noting the number, before sticking it under the clock on my bedside cabinet before running over to my blue back. I unzipped it quickly, taking out two books and clothes before I came across a large rectangular box, wrapped in brown paper with a string bow on top. With shaking hands and numb fingers, I undid it messily.

Inside was three jewellery boxes – one long and narrow, another a square shape with a white cardboard wrap around it, and one a rectangle. I put them down on the floor, opening one at a time. The first one was an anklet, rose gold with a small heart dangling down the middle. It was beautiful, and I took a moment to take it in. No one had ever brought me something like this. I then opened the rectangular box, and saw a matching necklace to the anklet, but the heart was entwined with two, and along the lines had aqua birth stones imbedded. I teared up and I took off the cardboard wrap on the third box, realising I had it on upside down. The cardboard read "PANDORA" and my mouth dropped as I opened the box which contained two things. A Pandora bracelet with three beads already on – one an aqua bead, another rose gold one with a date engraved on it and the third one a heard shaped bead. I rummaged around on my lap for the thing that fell out and held it up to the light.

A small ring. To match the rest of the jewellery Jason had got me it was rose gold, with the ring separating into two before crossing over in the middle with a small sapphire in the middle. On the inside, "I promise," was engraved. I looked at in amazement, before slowly putting each of the four pieces of myself, holding the hearts of my necklace close to me. I don't know why Jason got me all of this but it made me feel incredibly close to him and at home.

Just as I tried to close the Pandora box, I noticed there was a piece of paper folded up. I unfolded it with shaking hands.

 _Morning,_

 _I hope you're doing okay, love. I know it's tricky, and I know you begged me to stay and I wish I could, but it wasn't my choice. They didn't want me to see you at all, and they were just going to give you another dose and take you to wherever you are now without any explanation or what happened. I finally compromised with Susan, agreeing to let me see you for ten minutes before knocking you out myself but I didn't expect it to be that bad. It tore me apart to see you like that, and the idea of you struggling alone is horrific. I wanted to get you something small to show you that I am always with you, even when I can't be there when circumstances won't let me. The ring in the Pandora box was an easy buy – it's a promise ring. It's like an engagement ring but full of promises. I promise I will never let you struggle through anything again, and I will always be there for you. I know you may not believe those words now, but I will be thinking and waiting for you to come home. I miss you so much, Luce. My matching necklace and anklet I saw and just thought of you. They were beautiful. They asked me what gems I wanted in the necklace, so I had to choose aqua – the colour of our birthstones. Well, of my birthstone which I assume you must be relatively near for us to be soulfinders. The Pandora bracelet was kind of the same story. The date was the date we found out we were Soulfinders. Wear it close, and you know that I will be with you. Well – that was the idea anyway._

 _If you feel up to it, try texting me or calling me, but if you don't want too I understand. I know it's really tough for you at the moment sweetheart, but it won't be long before we can see each other again._

 _I love you, my beautiful girl._

 _Jason xx_

I sat with the note on my lap, hands shaking as I started to cry again – the weight of the last few weeks hitting me full on. My best friend was dead, my other best friend hadn't seen me since and if Matthew was still pissed off with me, I was completely and utterly screwed because I would have no one. Apart from Jason, but I couldn't rely on him for the rest of my life. I couldn't face going back to the Bournemouth apartment now, Dixon was a part of that place like the fittings. I don't even think I could handle going back to the Bournemouth paperwork centre for Maui. Dixon would always find me on our lunch break and play table tennis down in the lobby, or bring me fast food when I was too busy to go on my schedules break. Even just thinking about Dixon sent spears of pain through my heart. I can't live without her.

The sad notes of a slow piano song didn't help either.

I trawled through my blue rucksack again, finding my phone in the front pocket. I pulled it out, running my hands over it. Texts lie dormant form over three weeks ago; primarily from Matthew asking me to call him or where I am. Then a few from Jason, too, the day I went missing. I guess they discovered I was missing before they found my phone. Without even thinking about it, I quickly typed in the number on the back of paper – not his old number but a new one – and dialled it.

He picked up on the fourth ring.

'Hello?' Jason said.

'Hey,' I whispered, my voice seizing up.

'Lucy?' He asked on the other side of the phone, closing something and getting up. I heard Jason get up and leave the room he was in. 'You okay love?'

'Thanks,' I mumbled. Why did I call him?

'You found it okay, then?' He said softly and I simply nodded. 'Lucy?'

'I'm sorry,' I whispered, starting to cry and collapse into myself.

'Oh, Lucy,' He whispered down the phone and I started to cry. 'It's okay, love, it's okay.' Was it?

Five minutes later of me crying down the phone to Jason, and him gently comforting me I calmed down. I love him. My entire future now involved him, but I don't think he knew about it yet. But isn't that what he said in the hospital. Anything I wanted I could have? That made me sound like a spoilt brat – but he didn't mean like that. He meant if I wanted to move in, that's fine or if I wanted to get married and having thousands of children that's okay too. He just wanted to make sure I was okay. I didn't deserve him.

'You'll be okay, love,' Jason said.

'I miss you,' I whispered.

'I miss you too,' Jason said back. 'How are the other girls doing?'

'I've just woken up,' I replied back.

'And you feel okay talking to me?'

'Fine, I think, I don't want to strangle you or whatever,' I simply said. 'I should probably find the other girls, see if they're okay,' I sighed, not wanting to get off the phone with Jason but knowing I needed to see who else was with me; I had a fairly good idea though.

'Alright, I love you, we're working out how to get you back,' Jason said.

'I love you too,'

'See you soon, sweetheart,' Jason said as he hung up the phone but I held it close to me. When I needed him the most, Maui too him away from me. Probably for our own sake, but I need him. I frowned as the piano continued to play and I realised it wasn't music playing from somewhere – someone was actually playing the piano.

I got up, opening the door to a long corridor – a sliding white door in front of me, and a door to the far left and right, with another door next to me and a bit further up on the right. I noticed an archway on the opposite side of the wall, and crept out gripping my phone to me, but the ring that now sat on my ring finger gave me comfort, like Jason intended it too. It was beautiful. Slowly I crept around the archway, and not to see murderers like I half expected too.

Ella was sat at the piano, playing the sheet music in front of her as Sky stood next to her, watching the TV as an article started to fascinate her. Sky quickly looked up as I walked in, smiling at me before she walked over and hugged me tight. Something inside me faltered and I started to believe that I could get better.

Not just get better and work to get over Dixon's inevitable death, but get over my past. Fifteen years of fear and abuse. Three years of being an involuntary sex worker, and fifteen years of fearing my own father as my abuser. It had haunted me, and stayed with me like a shadow. But I can get over it. It will affect me, sure, but I had to put it behind me. How I got all of that from a hug, I don't quite know, but it was the warmth that helped me.

'I'm so sorry, Lucy,' Sky whispered as she pulled away, but her hands staying on my upper arms. I just shrugged. I slowly walked away to the sofa in the living room and fell into it.

'Where are we?' I asked Ella, who kept an eye on me but continued to play the piano without even looking at the keys.

'We were taken originally to central London, and then were taken from the Boat House, which is MI6, to Lincolnshire. We're in a small flat block – there's six flats where we are. We're the third floor,' Ella explained to me and I looked out the window – that would be why I couldn't see any other buildings.

'How long have we been here?'

'Not that long, Sky and I were never under like you and Crystal were. We only had tranquillisers. We've been here about... three hours I think,' Ella explained and I nodded.

'It's odd,' I mumbled.

'Oh yeah,' Sky said, plonking herself down next to me. 'We have no idea what they have done to us, or even when this could have happened.'

I thought it was weird; we never were unconscious for someone to change our minds that much.

'We knew it was wrong when we were saying it, like it was a script we were given but we couldn't stop it. Like we were puppets, too, we knew we didn't want to hurt Zed or Joe, we would never, but we couldn't stop it.' Sky explained. 'They told us we'd be here for about twelve days whilst they figure out what is happening and how to fix it, basically. But we're trying to figure it out before them,' Sky said softly.

'We're waiting for Crystal to wake up – she might have a vague idea. I have a few, but I'm not very good at going into people's minds without Joe,' She simply said, pulling down her shirt slightly, her hand lingering for a second.

'Is the baby...'

'He's fine,' Ella said, nodding slightly. 'You called Jason, right?'

'Yeah,'

'And you were fine?'

'Yeah, it was good,' I simply said and Ella looked towards Sky. 'Have you tried talking to Joe?'

'Not yet, I might go call him now,' Ella said.

'It'll be fine,' Sky reassured her and she seemed hesitant but nodded, standing up from the piano and grabbing her phone. A tad awkwardly, she walked out of the room via the arch, and into the bedroom down the right side.

'How are you holding up,' Sky asked me gently and I shrugged. How was I holding up? It was a good question and not one that I could answer. How was I doing? 'You can't drive, can you?' Sky changed the subject and I was so thankful.

'No,' I simply said softly.

'Ella and I put you on the insurance of the car they've given us rental of, I mean we found your provisional license.' Sky said and I frowned.

'You'd teach me how to drive?' I asked, shocked.

'Well, I wouldn't – Ella would. I mean she's taught all three of us to drive and we're all okay at it. It might take your mind off everything,' Sky said. 'If not, Ella's our nominated driver for God knows how long,'

'Would you ever have children at the age Ella did?' I asked Sky and she laughed softly.

'Odd question,' She said, smiling. 'Er – I dunno, I really don't.' She said and I thought it was the end over the conversation.

'Well, I don't think Ella would actually be willing to have kids at twenty one if they were planned. Knowing her, she would have shot down that idea as quickly as Joe proposed it, but because it was an accident. She had a one night stand with Joe at an engagement party before they even know they were Soulfinders, well if we're being precise, Ella knew but didn't want too, but Joe had no idea. We had no idea she was pregnant for months, literally months. She never had any signs, she was still stick thin, no morning sickness or cravings or anything really. She went down to Cornwall had a really bad bleed from down below, Joe took her to the hospital found out she was pregnant and I don't think once Ella realised she could have aborted the baby, it was never even an option for her. It was adoption or keeping Lily – the choice was clear. We didn't care that she was young, we were more concerned that she wouldn't know what to do or how she could cope. But Lily was born, they nailed it. You've met Lily, right?' I nodded. 'She is perfectly behaved, and Ella was devoted to her, she really was, but she couldn't have done it without Joe. I don't think I could do anything like that without Zed, but I don't think I would be ready to have children any time soon,' Sky said and I nodded. 'Sleeping beauty is up,' Sky joked as Crystal walked through the door, her hair tied up looking groggy. She scanned the room.

'Ella?'

'On the phone,' Sky said and she nodded, hugging her legs.

'But no, I don't think I could have children now,' Sky said and Crystal raised her eyebrow. 'Crystal, would have you have children now?'

'Er, potentially.' Crystal fessed up. 'I wouldn't plan for children now, but I might. Depends,' Crystal shrugged.

'What about you, then,' Sky asked and I shrugged.

'Kinda, yeah,' I mumbled and Sky just raised her eyebrow at me. 'Is that weird?'

'Of course not,' Sky said softly. 'Does Jason know you would want too?'

'No,' I laughed gently. 'We've only been together a few weeks. It's a bit early, isn't it?'

'If you want too, why are you holding back? The link between you two will always be there and will always be as strong. If he wants too, and you want too as well, then what else is holding you back?' Crystal asked me, frowning at me.

'Er, there is something else too,' I mumbled and both girls remained quiet. 'For fifteen years I was abused badly, I was kept in the basement and used to be beaten to a pulp if I ever questioned anything... and the second I turned twelve,' I took a deep breath and looked out the window. 'Well, when I turned twelve, my Dad – the person who kept me locked up – he used to sell me to his friends for sex. Ever since then, I just can't handle people... you know... and I am temperamental when people touch me and so on,' I explained looking down at my hands.

'Oh, I'm so sorry, Lucy,' Crystal said as Sky hugged me slightly. 'I had no idea,'

'I went through something similar – not as bad as you, but my uncle and aunt used to beat me too, but it's important to remember that now you are in control, you can stop people doing something if you don't feel comfortable with them doing it. You can pick and choose who you want in your life, and if you don't want anyone, even if they are family, you don't have too. You are in control,' Sky said to me and I paused. I was in control? 'It's quite a lot to understand to start with, but once you do you feel so much better. If you don't want to do anything you don't, and whether you have to fight to not do something, or just say, you can make it not happen,' Sky whispered to me.

Ella came back into the room, putting her phone in her jumper pocket as she sighed slightly. Sky looked at her in hope.

'Did it work? Could you talk to him?'

'Yeah, but I wish I couldn't,' She said, sitting down next to Sky.

'What do you mean?'

'It was awful, he was trying to make me feel like he was coping and everything was okay but he was just blatently lying. He feels like shit, he's struggling with both himself and with Lily and it's all because of me,'

'None of this was our fault, El, though,' Crystal piped up from the corner.

'I know, but still. He let me speak to Lily and she started crying on the phone telling me how much she misses me and how she hates seeing Daddy upset and crying at night. Joe said she was joking, but he can't lie to save his life,' Ella said.

'So we need to figure out why we are doing this, for the sake of your daughter and our niece.' Crystal said. 'But we have no idea what we're working with,'

'It's like having a mask on, that's the only way I can describe it,' Ella protested back. 'You can see through it and have your own feelings, you know full well what you are doing is wrong and you don't mean it but you can't take off that mask and stop it. So whatever someone has done, they haven't really touched the bond or we wouldn't want to speak to them. They've changed the way we act around them. The persons intent was never to make us lives easier by not knowing the impact, like the Contessa did in Italy, but they wanted both parties to be hurt. This is someone out for revenge,' Ella said.

'Sounds great but why?'

'They have a grudge against one of us, and we all came as a package deal apparently. Family sticks together, right?' Ella said and smiled at me. 'Whoever did it clearly know that Lucy is part of the family, too, which narrows it down a fair amount?'

Ella jumped out and walked out the very basic lounge of two sofa's and an arm chair, an old TV and a wood burner into a dining room. The whole place was extremely simplistic. Ella quickly found some wallpaper in the corner of the room where she knew it was and rolled it across the table, putting the vase on one side and gesturing for Sky to hold the other side. I frowned as she got out some markers and started drawing loads of stick figures. In the middle, she drew one girl standing to one side with long brown hair. A few centimetres away she started drawing what I assume to her family; seven boys, one girl, and then in a different shade of blue drew three girls holding stick hands with three boys, then on the far end drew a girl holding hands with the oldest boy. She then switched pens again to a light grey and drew the children; one near her, one near the second one in, and two near the oldest.

'Wow, we can see where Lily got her artistic skill from,' Crystal joked and Ella gave her an extremely pointed look.

'No, right,' Ella said, getting a yellow pen from the pack and drawing a squiggle on top. 'I think it went something like this. If someone wanted to get us, they could have from a start but it would not explain why they took Lucy,'

'Coincidence,' Sky offered.

'Mass murderers plan everything else, they get kicks out of not being caught. Nah, it's more than just coincidence but you have to consider the time frame. When Jason and I linked the cases together, about three weeks or so again he wanted to find out his Dad because his Mum disowned him. That's when I think it started. For two reasons; we figured out their pattern which exposed them a lot more than they like. They want to hide their pattern. But because we found out Jason was related to us, well, more specifically, the Benedict family tree. Once they were linked and it was declared, which we had to do to get in contact with Isaac, it went onto the Net, and of course they found Lucy again, and she was part of our family from that second onwards,' Ella explained, drawing in Jason and drawing a yellow circle around us all.

'So you think this is aimed at Lucy?' Crystal asked and Ella looked at me, pulling a sympathetic face as she squeezed my hand.

'I think it's her Dad, yeah,'

Hello, so I've decided I'll post three chapters tonight because they all flow nicely together, so this is the first out of the three, just in case it get's mixed up in the emails and sends you to the later ones! :)


	43. Chapter 42 - Lucy

My world came collapsing down around me as Ella's words had hit home. I trusted Ella, I knew she was high up in Maui, and I knew she was favourite to become joint assistant manager along with her brother and her cousin in law when the current assistant manager stood down his role. I also knew Ella was the current running manager with Joe of the deception and detective unit at Maui so I trusted her judgement completely. This was all my father's doing. This was all caused because of my genetics. He ruined everything in my early teens and now, he was ruining everything. Anger rippled over me. He killed my best friend, took myself and my friends away from their lives to make a point. And what point did he even make? It didn't matter, because he was here. He was watching me. He knew my every move.

'Woah, Lucy,' Ella said as I fell over, my eyes tightly closed as the room circled me. I then felt light and floaty. 'Come on Lucy stay with us,' And then I was feeling heavy again.

'You can hear us, still, open those eyes,' Crystal said, and someone rubbed my forehead.

'Yeah show us those pretty eyes,'

'God, she does have really pretty eyes,' Ella said, laughing gently. 'Such a bright shade of green, delightful stuff,'

'If you and Jason have a kid what colour eyes could the baby have?' Sky asked. 'What colour eyes does Lily have,'

'Bright green – Joe's,' Ella said.

'Compared to you – grey on grey with some more grey, dash of green with a sprinkle of more grey. It's like a mouldy dead shark,' Crystal said.

'Well, that's a new one. Mouldy dead shark,' Ella laughed.

'What colour do you think baby will have?' Crystal asked Ella.

'Brown – I had an affair with Chris Pratt,' Ella said and everyone laughed. 'Nah, genetically speaking there's not much leeway when it comes to eyes – first colour is green, then blue then if genetics starts playing around probably brown. Theoretically, I shouldn't have green mouldy dead shark eyes. Brown is the dominant allele and my Dad had brown eyes, so does Michael. How I ended up with green is a genetic mystery,'

'That, and how you're only five foot,' everyone laughed again.

'Be nice to the midget,' Crystal joked.

'She's only doing that to call Godparent,'

I realised my eyes were still closed and I was lying on the floor, with my head on someone's lap as the rubbed my forehead, someone else holding my hand and the third person was sitting with my feet on their lap. My eyes wouldn't open and were prized shut so I just let them hear them.

'I can be Godparent too,' Sky joked.

'You're already Godparent,' Crystal sulked.

'You two,' Ella said.

'I shotgunned it last time, first come first serve!' Sky joked

'You two are not getting Godparent privilege at all if you interrupt it. I'm giving it to Lucy.' Ella said, rubbing my forehead with cold hands.

'Why are you so cold?' My eyes snapped open and saw Ella sitting above me, a glow of blue coming from her hand as she gently rubbed my forehead. I raised an eyebrow at her as her hand retracted the blue going. 'What the bloody Hell were you doing?'

'Making you cold,' Ella simply said. 'Get you to wake up,'

'I think your kid with Jason would be adorable,' Sky said, rubbing my calf.

'Woah, you're having a kid with Jason?' Ella said looking down at it.

'I was thinking about it,' I mumbled embarrassed.

'That's just adorable,' Ella said, playing with my hair and I sighed. How were these people so open about everything? I thought family were meant to argue with things you want to do. 'Yeah, your kids would be bloody models,'

'Bet you're looking forward to labour, Els,' Crystal joked.

'Oh Jesus, no,' Ella laughed. 'All I'm saying is if I'm in labour for three days again, and then have the baby rushed away to neonatal for no reason, I will kill someone,'

'Lily was taken to neonatal?' I asked and Ella nodded.

'She was five weeks early, and they said she was shocked from the birth, which I think was right but they didn't think she was breathing properly because she wasn't crying, so rather than work on her in the room they took her down to neonatal and no one would tell us anything. Forty minutes later they came back with Lily crying,' Ella said.

'And you go back for seconds,' I said in amazement and Ella laughed.

'Every time she gets pregnant, something bad happens.' Crystal joked. 'Let's blame Joe, not you,'

'You've seen Hercules, right? That song the girl sings and it's starts off with "if there's a prize for rotten judgement, I think I've already won that,"' Ella said and I laughed, sitting up. 'Nah, I love him really,'

'CUTE,' Crystal said across the room where she went to pick up a bottle of water.

'I say we give all of this a break, teach Lucy how to drive and perhaps find a Nando's,' Sky said and Crystal nodded at her, pointing.

'Yes girl!'

Ella was a really good teacher when it came to driving; whilst Sky and Crystal were having showers and getting ready to go out, Ella took me down to the car park and explained the basics to me, including what the biting point was and how to find it, how to get the car started and how to change gears. I drove around the car park for a while; Ella showed me how to turn into corners properly and how to stop without stalling, or how to move without stalling. When I was comfortable enough – about two hours of private tuition with her, Crystal and Sky came down and got in the back.

'You were doing brilliantly, Luce, just ignore those spanners in the back,' Ella said.

I sat on the edge of a T-junction, waiting for a gap in the traffic. I had already let three cars go, and I think Ella saw me shaking.

'Look, after this car there's a gap, you're already on the biting point, just take your foot off the break and go onto the gas slightly,' Ella said softly and I nodded a large Toyota passed me, and I did what Ella said and the car continued down the road – I was driving this car!

'Okay, so we're coming up to a roundabout, stay in the left lane indicating left and when there is no cars on the close side of the roundabout, just head out, stay to the left and follow the road, alright love?' Ella said softly and I nodded.

Sure enough, I did fine and I was picking it up a bit too quick – almost like I knew what I was doing before I got into the car. Like someone had taught me how to drive and my body remembered it but my brain didn't. Weird.

'Are you sure you haven't driven before?' Ella asked as I pulled onto the fourth floor of the multi-story car park, I pulled into a spot on the left, reversing in flawlessly. I turned off the engine after securing the car and looked at Ella.

'I don't think so – why?'

'I haven't been telling you what to do, just where to go,' Ella said.

Oh. I remembered how to do everything perfectly, then, including massive double roundabouts, turn in the roads when I got lost and bay parking. I thought I was doing a bit too well for a beginner.

'When you get back, book your driving test because you'd nail that first time,' Ella simply said, tapping my leg as she got out the car. I followed her, like a sheep, locking the car as I left.

'Did you pass first time?' I asked her and she nodded.

'I've taken three driving tests, and passed them all first time – one for America when I was sixteen, one for the UK when I was seventeen and then one for Canada when I was eighteen and we did a case up there,' Ella explained.

'I passed second time around,' Sky explained.

'First,' Crystal bragged,

'Only cause you were flirting with the guy,' Ella added as I locked the doors.

'Walking in your boot,' Crystal joked, hugger to the side.

'So, you think all of this is my Dad's doing?' I asked bluntly as our plates of chicken got delivered to the table in Nando's – Ella and I had gone for a chicken butterfly with a mango and lime seasoning on Ella's recommendation, with Crystal going for a burger and Sky a grilled chicken wrap. We all had unlimited drinks on the table. A lot closer to the girls now, and even as they even referred to me as part of their family, I wasn't so panicky when they mentioned my Dad. Sky looked up at me with concern in her eyes, before looking at Ella and nodding.

'I think so, yeah,' Ella said, taking a bite from her garlic bread. 'It just makes sense why we were targeted to attack.'

'Okay, but why?'

'That's the golden question,' Crystal asked. 'Why does anyone do anything?'

'I think they messed up, though, they didn't know what they were doing. I think they wanted us to attack and know we were doing what was right, that we wanted to do it again if they came near us. They cocked up – we know what we are doing was wrong, we wanted to stop and it and not only that we can talk to them over the phone and it's golden – that's the good thing,'

'Good thing?' I asked Ella and she nodded. It seemed the complete opposite of a good thing.

'It means nothing has happened to the bond, either,' Crystal piped up from the other side of the table. 'I've doubled checked on all of us, and we all seem fine, but the bond is masked, like Ella said. When we break that mask, everything will go back to normal,'

'How do we break the mask,'

'We faced something similar to this in Venice – how long ago was it?' Ella asked Crystal and she shrugged. 'I'm not too sure, but there'll be a way to remove it.'

'If Ella's with me, we can figure it out but we'd need safety nets,'

'What does that mean?' I asked, the fear hitting me.

'Lucy,' Sky hissed from across the table as I started to shake. Why did we need to be safe?

'Lucy, you're doing your thing again,' Ella said gently, blinding putting her hand on my upper thigh. I frowned and then realised there was a purple fuzz around me – meaning I was going invisible. There was no good use for my gift, which is why I never use it but it's dangerous. Fear clearly triggers it off in odd bursts. I have no control. I sighed slightly, visualising the purple fuzz disappearing.

'How the bloody hell do you do that,' Crystal asked, grinning at me as Sky looked around to see if anyone noticed.

'I dunno, it's pretty useless,' I shrugged.

'Useless? You can spy on people, your hide and seek skills are flawless,' Crystal said. 'If you think your gift is useless, we can all cop on the same card – Sky can see pretty colours, I like to ship people and hope they get together like a twelve year old and she's an ice machine,' She nodded to Ella who simply lifted her glass. I laughed slightly. 'But it's more than what is on the top; Ella can decrease any fluid and stalk people anywhere. I can find peoples Soulfinders, and Sky can alter people's auras. You can go invisible, for God sake, you have a gift that kids wish they could have. You have one of the most unique and intriguing gifts known to Savants so far, so don't you say it's useless or I'll get our cousin Jason to give you smack booty,' Crystal said and I teared up.

'Oh no, don't cry,' Sky said. 'Her inspiration speeches normally have that effect, they're rarer than the solar eclipse though,' She grabbed my hand across the table.

'We just need a precaution in case we black out – we did last time,' Ella said softly. 'So we'll just text the guys to come and get us,'

'Can I call Jason?' I mumbled, feeling stupid. We're all in the same position but I was the only one acting weak but there was no sign they thought the same.

'Of course, I think the loos are just down that flight of stairs,' Ella said, getting up to let me through. I fiddled with my phone as I walked down the pathway, down the two flights of stairs and into the ladies. I looked around the small rest room, and when I saw no one was there I pulled out my phone and dialled Jason, who picked upon the fourth ring.

'Hey,' He said softly, like he had just woken up.

'Was you asleep?' I asked him, looking at the time on my phone. Half ten at night.

'Yeah, you alright beautiful?' He asked.

'I'm so sorry, get back to sleep!' I protested.

'Don't be silly, love,' Jason said.

'Ella and Crystal think they have a plan as to how to stop us attacking you,' I whispered and heard Jason move, and a click of a lamp turned on.

'Really?' He said excited.

'I dunno if it'll work, though, they think my Dad had done this to me.' I whispered.

'Oh,' He whispered. 'How are you holding up?' He asked me. 'We have the suspect's name, so we'll verify that but I won't tell you who it is for certain, it won't do you any good.'

'Oh,' I repeated, tearing up. 'I'm scared, I don't want to lose you,'

'You'll never lose me, my darling girl, never,' Jason said on the other side of the phone.

'You say that...'

'And I mean it. If whatever Ella and Crystal have planned works, you're coming straight back to mine and we're watching Disney films for a week straight with take outs, sweets, fizzy drinks, a spot of alcohol and lots of blanket forts and you're never leaving my side again,' Jason told me.

'I just... is it stupid how much I miss you,'

'Of course not,' Jason whispered softly to me. 'I miss you so much too,'

'Jason, I've been thinking...' I started off and I heard him clear his throat on the other line of the phone. How would I phrased this without seeming needy?

'Yeah?' He asked.

'If everything works out okay between us two, and obviously when we sort out where we're living and everything and Dixon...' I sighed, Dixon's name causing the impending pendulum of doom to start up inside me again. But I knew Dixon would want me to continue being happy. I knew her, she'd wouldn't want me to traul over her death for months. 'And you want too as well, obviously I wouldn't want you to be unhappy so maybe...'

'You're stalling, love,' Jason said softly and I sighed.

'Would you ever consider having a baby... with me?' I asked quietly, pacing the toilet washroom in a slight moment of anxiety. Jason remained silent on the other side.

'Why wouldn't I?' Jason replied and I grinned.

'Really?'

'There's a lot of things we'd have to sort out before though, like where we'd live, jobs obviously – I've already spoken to the big boss at Maui in Guildford and providing Ella is okay with it they are more than happy to transfer you up here and into Ella's department – her and Joe would train you too, but that's if you'd want to do it. That's also providing everything else is okay and I know you said you had trouble when it comes to intimacy...' Jason said softly.

'We'll work it out, it'll just take time I guess,'

'Yeah, it's not like we're eighty or something. We have time,' Jason mumbled. 'God, I love you,'

'I love you too,'

'Where are you – it's echoing?'

'Nando's, I ditched the girls for a second to call you, I just... I just wanted to hear you I know that's stupid and pathetic and childish but...'

'Stop that, it's not. It's perfectly acceptable, it honestly is.'

'I should probably go back up there,' I said, too scared of being apart from them for a period of time, in case they'd leave without me or something worse would happen to them.

'Of course, I love you Lucy,'

'I love you too, Jason, get your ass back to sleep,'

'Yes ma'am,' Jason said chuckling before I hung up on him, holding my phone to my chest as I rethought about our conversation. He was willing to have a baby with me once we settled down! I think that was one of my biggest aims – I didn't care too much about being the best at my job, I wanted a family. After being deprived of love and affection for most of my life, I wanted to show that love and affection and learn the meaning of family the reverse way. I was so glad Jason was aboard.

I went back upstairs to see the girls still sitting around the table, continuing to eat their food. Ella spotted me before anyone else and smiled at me grinning like a little child, standing up to let me go in and sit back in my corner.

'We've agreed to try tomorrow morning, we'll all contact the boys telling them to meet us in the lobby, and we'll call them if it doesn't work or if we don't pick up then to come upstairs and find us,' Sky filled us in.

'So we'll black out?' I asked and Crystal nodded.

'Your brain doesn't like things fiddling with it, so it shuts a bit of it off to try and stop it. If it works, we'd all black out,'

'We'd be taken back to a hospital, put in psychiatric containment and whoever is the first to come around – probably me – will be the tester to see if it'll work. If I'm fine with Joe, they'll allow you all to wake up with said Soulfinder's in the room.' Ella explained, putting her knife and fork down on the plate, sipping her Fanta through a straw.

'Ey, who says you're waking up first?' Sky joked.

'I'm slowly becoming immune to anaesthetic, I swear,'

'Would we be on anaesthetic?' I asked Ella.

'Fifty fifty, they might want too to give them more time and also we still have wounds that need redressing from the car crash so they might give us a dose to do them,' Ella explained, lifting up her shirt to show the massive gauze along her side, taped into place, but had clear coloured marks through the white material. It makes sense now why she was went into theatre – also that graze or whatever it hid under that gauze was dangerously close to her abdomen where her unborn son was resting. She had shown me a picture Joe has sent her of the emergency ultrasound they had performed once she was mopped up from the car crash. I frowned, looking at my arm which had a small gauze on it too, and plasters along my right thigh. The braces for the bone were taken off, as somehow it magically fixed itself. I knew it was Jason's doing. 'It'll give them more time to get the Savant Psychologist in from Aberdeen,'

'Why Scotland, isn't there one closer?' Crystal asked.

'Yeah – me,' Ella said and I smiled. 'Don't think I can pass myself off psychologically, but they might not give us any and go for the wild bear approach which is exactly what happened last time. Let us wake up, and just watch as I attack Joe,' Ella shook her head at her own behaviour in disgust.

'Right, let's go home then,' Crystal said, standing up and putting her coat on. 'We need a good night's rest,'

Hello! Okay, so, slight spoiler but I needed to explain myself. The whole idea of Jason & Lucy having a kid is extremely important to the plot. Not now, and not in this book but there is another reason (I won't tell too much, but it's important) and I'm not copying Capturing Ella in the way it ends with a kid which is important to remember but there is another reason. I will say they do end up having a child but I don't mention when because spoilers!


	44. Chapter 43 - Lucy

Chapter 43 – Lucy

The night itself dragged, as I'm sure it did for the girls too. I couldn't settle down and catch some sleep as my brain was running all over the place, from confidence that Ella and Crystal to do this, to fear that two people I barely know we're going to run rampant in my brain to try and fix something we didn't know if I had, to just plain terror as I wondered if there was a way they could mess up and ruin the bond between Jason and myself. Throughout the night, I kept texting Jason my fears and he replied loyally, keeping his phone on vibrate to wake him up whenever I replied.

I sat watching the clock until it stuck half eight, the time we all agreed that we'd get moving if we were awake. I don't know how, but when I was double checking the time on my messages there were half an hour intervals, or even an hour in some places, where I didn't reply so I must have fell asleep here and there. Jason had gone from trying to reassure me, telling me it'll be all okay and we'll have to wait and see and he'll be there the second I wake up no matter what the doctors tell him, to trying to distract me talking all thing babies. Over the last two and a bit weeks, he had become a resident babysitter for Lily and had got some adorable photos of him and the toddler and was sending me them. It didn't take too many brain cells to work out Jason would be parent of the year. But whatever Jason did, it calmed me down enough to let me sleep for a while.

As if by magic, the entire house came to life at eight thirty exactly. All four of us emerged from our bedrooms in pyjama sets, hair going everywhere as we fell into the kitchen.

'Morning brews, everyone?' Ella asked, in a tight fitting black vest top and fluffy loose bottoms which had cartoon hedgehogs on. Her hair was tied back in a pony tail, and with her face clear of any make up – not that she needed any - her freckles were more prominent than ever and it explained how Lily ended up with freckles too. However, I think everyone was trying not to mention the slight bump the black shirt had revealed.

'Of course, always need a cuppa,' Crystal said, standing next to her.

'White coffee, two sugars – hot chocolate for you ma'am,' she poked Sky's nose as Sky frowned at her, 'and tea with one sugar, am I right?' Ella asked me and I nodded.

'One sugar?' Crystal asked in mock shock.

'God you can tell she's British,' Sky added.

'Dude, you can tell we're all British – we're putting the kettle on,'

'I still find it weird American's don't have kettles in their kitchen,' Crystal shook her head.

'They don't have kettles,' I whispered in shocked.

'They do, but it's just rare. They don't appreciate warm beverages like we do,' Ella added.

'What if they want tea or coffee?'

'Tea isn't popular in America, I know, it's bloody awful,' Ella joked with me when seeing my shocked face, 'however, most places have like espresso machines or coffee machines or they just heat water over the oven. So caveman,'

'Well, I hear those boiling water taps are big in America now,' Crystal said, nodding. 'The flat Xav and I are renting for now has one – it's incredible. No waiting for the kettle to boil,'

'I like the wait for the boil, it brings so much more meaning to tea, don't you think? You can talk, have a good gossip –'

'Bloody hell, how British are Joe and yourself? Incredible. I honestly would not be surprised if you make Lily have tea too,' Sky said.

'She has had lukewarm tea once or twice – she loves the stuff,'

'Lukewarm?' Crystal asked in mock horror.

'You've met Lily, right? The hyperactive slightly clumsy kid? You're trusting her with scorching water?' Ella said.

'Good point,'

'Lily's adorable,' I said softly and Ella smiled at me. 'Do you ever regret having her?'

'Hell no. She is everything to Joe and me. However, I do regret not having a c-section. Seriously three days in labour kills you off.' Ella simply joked.

'You go to go to hospital this time around?' Crystal asked and Ella shrugged.

'Not if I can help it, but you know what Joe's like,' Ella said as the kettle clicked off. She turned around, pouring the water into four cups, mixing in the coffee and hot chocolate powder and waiting for the tea to brew. I watched her in silence as she continued to make the brews.

'When does Lily go to preschool?' Sky asked.

'September, or the September after, it depends. She's on the borderline between two preschool years, so they'll take us in for a day and see how she acts and make a decision if she's mature enough for school from September and if not, she'll be put in the year after.' Ella said.

'God, you're going to need several boxes of tissues for when she leaves for school,' Crystal said, rubbing her back.

'I'm going to be a bloody mess, I'll tell you that for free,'

'Joe's probably already made plans for you to stay in, have coffee, be a shoulder to cry on,'

'He'll act like it's another day.' Ella said, gesturing to the cups. She picked up her one, and my tea and passed it over to me before heading into the lounge. She sat down on the edge of the sofa and I sat down on the edge of the day.

'A brick has more emotions than he does,'

'He cried more than Lily did when she was born, I'll let him off,' Ella simply said, taking a sip of the beverage. My phone vibrated in my pocket, and I frowned, leaning forward and putting my cup down on the side before pulling out my phone from my dressing gown pocket. I unlocked my phone, seeing a message from Jason waiting for me.

 _Hey beautiful, how are you doing? We, er, we tracked down the man we thought was behind your abduction and found him on the National Database, and when we looked into family of him. We think it might be your Dad – I know you mentioned that Lucy was a name given to you after what happened to your mother, and that tallies up and your actual birth date is on here too and it's similar to mine. We think your Dad did do all of this to you and the girls as well as the others who was kidnapped, and all the others who was murdered before the kidnaps._

I sighed deeply as my hands started to shake and the world started to collapse around me again.

'What is it?' Ella asked and I just handed her my phone. I watched silently as she read it frowning before she realised something and her emotions completely shut off. I watched her as she handed my phone to Crystal, who sat next to me and her and Sky read it as Ella hugged me to her side as I tried to keep my tears back.

'I'm so sorry,' I whispered, hugging Ella back and talking into her boob slightly.

'Er, what for?' Ella asked.

'My Dad...'

'Why are you apologising for your Dad's behaviour? Like, if your Dad was... you know... not a prick and he was drunk dancing at your wedding, then you apologise. But you don't know your Dad, he was a fucking arsehole to you, Luce, he is not your father in any way shape or form. You don't apologise for him,' Ella explained.

'I'm still related to him genetically,'

'My biological father was a farmer – does it look like I belong on a farm?' Ella joked.

'With those freckles it does,' Crystal joked and I felt Ella's hand lift from my back to give her the finger.

'Don't ever apologise for what happened before you busted your ass out of Kingdom, and Michael and I picked you up, don't bother –'

'It was you who picked me up?' I asked in shock, wondering how I never put two and two together. The girl who picked me up looked identical to Ella, apart from a bit slimmer in the face and the girl who was hugging me was extremely confident and had a bit more on top from having a child. Apart from that, they were identical.

'Yup, Michael was teaching me how to drive and took me there to show exactly where it was – Maui had a vacant idea the person we were looking for was in there but we had no idea the scale of what. We thought it was just him, you and your brother living quietly. We were about to drive off when we saw you fall three floors, and thankfully we got you in before they started shooting at the car,'

'They were shooting at the car?'

'They were following us for about seven miles, but you were unconscious by this part. You woke up when we got on the motorway,' Ella explained.

'I... thank you,'

'You'd do the same for me – hopefully. Probably better with your incredible driving.' Ella said shaking her head.

'You don't care that my Dad is one of the worst people you'll have seen in the Savant world?'

'Jason didn't say a name, did he?'

'Luman Carnes,' I whispered and the name had the same effect on Ella as it did when I told Jason when we were duck feeding.

'Oh...' was all that Ella said. 'Well, you're Dad's dickhead, doesn't mean you have to be.' Ella simply said, but I had a feeling she was holding back a lot of comments to try and gloss over the subject. As I was about it interject, Crystal butted in.

'So, we're gunna sit and have a cup of tea all day or get back to our family?' Crystal said, downing the rest of her coffee.

'This is why you pee like a race horse,' Ella said, taking another sip of her hot chocolate. 'Fine, let's give this a go,'

About three hours later, we were all ready to go. We had got dressed, went down the shops and brought three scented candles and some brunch and but the time we cooked it all up and ate it, we had time to talk through what we were doing. I had got a rough idea what to do; Ella had already taken a sneak peek into Crystal brain to see what she could, and had led to some comments along the lines of "Put some more clothes on my brother, oh my God not them please Crystal," so I guess they were joking around. Crystal then snooped around Ella's brain, making comments about Lily being her favourite niece and some more casual banter, but after lunch both girls think they knew what they were doing.

'So, you're going to go into our brains?' I asked Crystal dubiously but she just nodded.

'Basically, we're going to go in there and support each other as Crystal will make the bond slightly stronger, and I'll freeze the mask off like you can freeze warts off.' Ella said and wrinkled her nose. 'Delightful image,'

'And that should remove it,'

'If we do it at the same time, yes,' Crystal said.

'But we haven't had our Disney night in!' Sky protested.

'Let's do it when we're back and we're all safe,' Ella said and Sky nodded.

'As long as we can watch Hercules,' She said and I smiled slightly. I had only watched Disney films when I was removed from Kingdom, and Hercules was one of my favourites. We didn't know how well this would work, if it would work at all, or if we would wake up back here because one of us tried to attack our Soulfinder's again. But it was worth a go. We never mentioned what we had left at home; there was no mention of school or work, no mentions of any of the boys and no mention of Lily either. We had all managed to keep in touch with our partners though as the girls were fine contacting them, but we never talked about it to each other.

It had got to a stage that even our nearest and dearest were forbidden words – all because of me.


	45. Chapter 44 - Lucy

**Chapter 44 – Lucy**

We were finally ready to give this a go. It had just gone two in the afternoon, and we had thought through every possibility that could come out. We had already agreed to go along with it because we didn't have any other alternative – we had too if we wanted to go home this week, go back to our normal lives, we had to give Ella and Crystal's idea a go. We had got blankets and thick jackets ready for Ella in case her temperature drops despite it being summer, surrounded Sky with pillows as she fainted last time they done something in her brain, and they had more than enough tissues for both Crystal and myself, who suffer badly with nosebleeds. We were sitting in a square, some scented candles around us.

'Okay, I'll text Joe now saying if I don't text him back in twenty, to come and pick us up,' Ella said, on her phone. She has set up an email to be sent to Joe with the address in twenty minutes – if our plan didn't work she would just cancel the email.

'You done?' Crystal asked as Ella threw her phone on the sofa. She nodded.

'Right, let's all lay down then and just let our minds empty of all fears and anxieties, we won't let each other get hurt,' Crystal said and I laid back.

I tried to empty my mind free of any worries and other emotions I had; knowing that Dixon was dead and they were probably finding her body as we speak, worries that everyone was secretly hating me because they knew who my father was, that I would never see Jason again. I was terrified that I would come back to Ascot, where Jason is , and he turns around and tell me he doesn't like me or I got replaced when I was away. I doubted he would, but I was absolutely terrified of quite a few things. I pushed them all to the back on brain and was thinking about where we were based. The park behind us was beautiful; words couldn't sum it up properly. The amount of people who walked through, naive, walking dogs or taking children to the park that must be down the path was incredible. I spent a bit of time earlier people watching, as happy couples walked down the path, or parents pushed their babies in their buggies, or dogs running loose but it was safe to do so due to the lack of active roads – the flats had it's own small single file country road, pulling off to a public car park one side and the underground car park under.

'That's good Lucy, fill you head with random shit about car parks,' Crystal laughed slightly.

I realised that my eyes were closed, but the four of us still stood randomly in the black space. I zoomed myself in, completely amazed by what we were all doing.

'Is everyone else naked?' Ella whispered.

'No, Ella, everyone's clothes on my side,' Sky laughed.

'Uh...' Ella replied. 'Wait, I got it, you've got clothes on!' Ella joked.

I looked at the three of us all in our white shirts, blue jeans, white jacket and scarfs we all had when Luman kept us in his paradise and added this shield to our brains to reject our Soulfinder – as if I didn't hate him before.

'Right, we're just stalling now,' Crystal said, clicking her fingers. 'We're all already in each others mind or we wouldn't see each other. Lucy took some time but she's officially part of the family,'

The girls grinned at me and my heart faulted for a second. I had a family now? Theoretically they would be my cousins through Jason, but they classed me as family. I had a family who wasn't abusive assholes! I'll take that as a win.

'Who is willing to go first? It's going to have to be one of you two,' Crystal gestured between Sky and me. 'Ella and I will do ours simultaneously,'

'Well, I'll do yours first and mine second, I should have enough energy left over once you're out cold to do myself,' Ella said an Crystal nodded.

'Do me, if it goes wrong I'd rather it be on me than Lucy,' Sky offered.

'You can't do that,'

'It might be worth it – we know our way around Sky's brain a lot more than we know the way around yours. We always spy on her thoughts and what she does to Zed, or rather, what she wants to do...' Crystal started.

'Oi, watch it sunshine,' Ella joked in a stupid voice. 'That's my brother you're on about, I don't want to know...' Ella said and Crystal cut her off when laughing and Sky went all colours of red.

'Okay, let's do this then,' Crystal said and Ella nodded.

There was deadly silence for about four minutes and I couldn't help but rack up the nerves on what will happen. What if they do more damage than good? What if this doesn't work and we just attack our Soulfinder's again? What if it made it worse?

But what if it worked and we were back and happy? I can go back to Jason, and I am never leaving his side. He agreed that – he said whatever I want I can have like a spoilt middle-class girl and if I said we're moving in together, whether that's to a new place or his small home he's likely to do that. Hell, he said if I want children he's willing once we talk it through – albeit that talk it through could end up as "no, not yet", but still. I had got gold with Jason.

I wasn't too sure what life I would lead now. Dixon was dead, I couldn't go back to Bournemouth. I didn't know what to do. My stomach dropped. I couldn't go back to work, I'd have to quit or ask for compassionate leave.

I tried to take my mind off it, but I felt heavy. Weighed down.

'Lucy, love,' Ella said gently and I snapped around, looking at her. She stood slightly hesitantly. She had realised what I was thinking as we were all in our minds at the moment. We were, in our bodies, unconscious but this was a picture made from our brain, supported by Ella projecting. Of course she can hear me. 'When you're back, you need to go see someone,' She said softly.

'I know, but I don't want too,' I whispered and she gave me a sympathetic look. 'I don't want someone who doesn't know about me telling me how to feel,'

'I was the same, Luce, but it's not like that at all. It's bringing you down badly, both this entire experience and your past. It might be worth it, if it helps. I've been in a similar place for different reasons and it sucks, but people do care and people can help you,' Ella said sweetly.

'Can they?' I asked, genuinely confused.

'There is help out there for you, and people specialise in helping people through grievance, and abuse. I'll help you when we're out find the right people, take you there are so on, alright?'

'You'd do that?'

'You're family now, aren't you?' Ella said, winking at me. I shrugged. 'Nah, you're as family as family gets.' And with that, the pep talk was over.

'You next, Luce,' Crystal said and I looked around. Sky had disappeared from the circle.

'What happened to Sky?'

'We think we removed the mask, so to speak, and she's unconscious which is what we wanted. We know what we're doing now,' Crystal explained, shaking slightly from excited. 'It might hurt, though, but you'll be unconscious before it gets too bad,' Crystal said.

Do I want to do this? 'Fine, what do I do?'

'Relax, let both us into your brain, this –' she gestured to the black space 'is like a doormat. Let us in,' Crystal said.

I closed my eyes, trying to open my mind up to them.

'That's doing good, now think about Jason,'

Jason. My Soulfinder. The kind boy who dropped everything and drove for two hours to come and pick me up when I was sad and angry at Dixon and Mara was my Soulfinder. I knew I wanted him so much, and I missed him incredible amounts. I would do anything for Jason to be back, and if this meant letting two people I trust – my family – into my brain, and first time thing for anyone – so be it. I trusted these people I realised. I trusted them.

'That's good, Luce,' Ella said softly. 'We're there now, this is the part it may hurt. We're just going to fast freeze off the shield. It'll cause a bad headache and it'll feel terrible, but you'll be out before long,'

'Go for it – just, do it now,' I whispered.

I didn't expect what was to come. There was an extreme pulling in my mind, like a badly twisted muscle in your brain. I winced, forcing my eyes closed a bit longer and I could feel Crystal, who was doing the work of pulling my brain, apologise without so many words. I barely had time to register how painful my head was before Ella hit me with the cold front. It felt like she had poured liquid nitrogen all over my head, the numbness spreading down causing panic and paralysis of my brain. I could only focus on the extreme pain, the numbing, the agony for about three seconds until it forced me into unconsciousness.

* * *

 **Hello! Okay, so I've decided when I get seven reviews on this chapter I'll start uploading "Destroying Sam" which focuses around Ella's brother/Jason's cousin Michael and Samantha, or Sam, a teacher at Blakeley Academy and her four year old daughter Nicole. I have the first few chapters written already, so when I get those reviews I'll upload them - this is just so I know people want to read it, and if not I'll jut leave it at the end of this.**

 **Also, to the person who reviews but doesn't know if I see it - I do! thank you so m** uch! :)


	46. Chapter 45 - Jason

**Chapter 45 – Jason**

She's back.

I stood outside the room she had been taken into in the medical centre at Maui, where Lucy had been transferred from the high dependency unit. Joe had got a text about four hours ago from Ella explaining they were attempting to undo what had happened to them, and if she didn't text back in twenty minutes to head to the address that was listed to send. Eventually, forty minutes after the text, the address came through and they deployed two cars to get them. Joe and I waited back at base, with Lily in the play rooms; until we got the message they're back in high dependency unit being checked over. Xav and Zed had joined us temporarily for a few minutes until the girls were taken to different places. Ella remains in high dependency until her temperature is stabilised, Sky and Crystal had been taken down to the psychological ward where they are to be kept until the wake up and they can make sure whatever was making them like they were is removed. Lucy remained in minor injuries, but why they wouldn't tell me.

I started pacing the space outside; knowing my girl was in there but there was nothing I could do was killing me off. Knowing I was so close to having her back with me but all that was separating us was a thin sheet of paper curtain was awful. I wanted her. She was never leaving my side ever again.

'Mr. Browne?' The nurse came out, holding a medical chart. I turned around immediately as all the nurses and doctors left the curtained room.

'Yeah, is Lucy okay?' I immediately asked.

'Medically, she is fine. We brought her here because her muscles were extremely tense for a long period of time so we had concerns of built up lactic acid. We had to give her some general anesethic to knock her out, so you might be able to catch her just about waking up before we transfer her down to the psychological ward where the other three girls are now,' The nurse told me.

'She'll be fine, though?' I asked her.

'If the girls broke whatever they were doing to make them act the way they did, she'll be back to normal in no time,' the nurse said, gently touching my arm as another nurse pulled the paper curtain back, revealing Lucy. We were in a private room, with sofas on one side of the curtain and the bed on the other.

'Thanks,' I mumbled, walking straight over to Lucy. The nurse left, saying something that I didn't focus on.

Lucy didn't look her best, but I guess having fourteen days in what sounded like a catered hell, before being in a strange flat for a day would do that for you. Her brown hair was going everywhere and was greasy, and she had streaks of mascara down her face from when she must have cried at some point.

'Hey, beautiful,' I whispered to her, holding her hand. Cold. 'You're home now, you're safe,'

'What's happening?' I asked Joe as he sat on a wooden bench in a relative room on the psychiatric ward and he just shrugged. We understood the girls were down here in case they were wrong and couldn't reverse what had happened to them so they had to have medical staff around them to get us out of the room and knock them out if they went for the kill. I didn't want to think about that.

'How are you so calm?' I hissed to Joe as he sat there calmly as I paced the room like an anxious father-to-be.

'I'm not,' Joe whispered, and I noticed that he was staring at the door of which Ella's room was behind. The family room was in between the two rooms; with Lucy's room on the right and Ella's room on the left. Ella's temperature had dropped dramatically into the mid-to-low thirties and it wasn't picking up very fast at all so she was still classed as in a bad state. She had been covered with thermal blankets to get her temperature back up into the "normal" range, but she was still unconscious. They wouldn't even tell Joe if his baby was okay. Lucy got the all clear but was under still. All the girls were unconscious, knocked out, when the response team got there but they were sedated even further to keep them under until they got back. We got told they will be under for the next few hours, and we'd go from there. In two hours, we'd be kicked out from seeing them until they woke up and underwent psychological reports. 'I'm only keeping it together for Lily,'

I looked into the window of Ella's room, where Lily was sitting on the chair, her legs not even dangling off the side of the wipe clean chair as she talked to Ella, completely unphased of the wires and blankets that covered her mother. Lily was talking to Ella, and as we looked she stood on the chair and climbed into bed with her, hugging her tightly before laying next to her, still talking.

'Any news on her at all?' I asked gently and he shook his head.

'We're in the same waiting game now,' Joe replied and I nodded.

'Sky and Crystal?'

'Exact same, Zed and Xav are just down the hallway.' I bit my lip, looking through the cracks of the Venetian blinds at my Soulfinder. Despite being a relatively average height, she looked small and feeble in her hospital bed. I just wanted her better. I wanted her to come home. I was nothing without her now.

'Joe and Jason, correct?'

We turned around to see a stocky man in a suit in the doorway of the family suite.

'We need to talk to you both about your partners,'


	47. Chapter 46 - Jason

**Chapter 46 - Jason**

 **Six hours later.**

'The circumstances we're under are very odd ones indeed. The girls knew what they were doing when attacking you lot was wrong but still found themselves acting out what they didn't want to do. We don't know why this happened, but we all have suspects as to who put the mask in place, although who doesn't matter, it's what damage they may have left that's the primary concern,'

The Savant psychologist said to us, leading us through into a small room. Zed and Xav looked just as much on edge as Joe and I did, but I think Joe broke through into a new level of anxiety when he saw what was through the glass window. Even I had seen it. Ella was sitting on a hospital bed, one foot under her body and the other hanging off the bed and she was looking absolutely everywhere, clearly trying to make sense of what had been happening. She was, after all, the one that requested to see Joe and Lily. However, they would only grant permission to see Joe once she passed psychological tests (which of course she nailed) and will only be allowed to bring Lily into the room when Joe deems it safe.

'We think the girls had managed to break the cycles themselves whilst in their temporary flat, or that is what Ella was telling me an hour or so ago. A combination of all of their gifts enabled them to remove the mask, the word Ella used for it – mask, from their brain. Even though they knew what they were doing was wrong, irrational and made no sense, they were forced to do it. They could all see out of their masks, but could never take it off.'

'So why are we here? We're not allowed to see our girls,' Zed asked, crossing his arms over his chest. We knew the rules.

'Ella requested to see Joe, and I believe she is in a better place to do so.'

'You mean I can actually go in the room with her?' Joe asked the doctor in what was a mix of awe and shock, but extreme happiness. Even though Ella wanted to see him, we couldn't guarantee they were safe.

'Yes, but you have to understand she doesn't know how she'll react. She's confident that the other girl's masks had lifted, but she wasn't too sure on her own. As she explained, she made sure everyone was good before attempting it on herself, but she was blacking out by that point. We're only going to be here temporarily to make sure Ella won't react badly. If its fine, we'll arrange for you lot to sit with Lucy, Sky and Crystal as they wake up.'

'How comes Ella's awake before everyone else?' Xav asked.

'She's already had three times the amount of anaesthetic an individual should have in their lifetime. If you take too many painkillers you become immune to the painkiller themselves, you take too much anaesthetic, you slowly become more immune and come around from it a lot quicker. Ella woke up this afternoon; the others shouldn't be waking up until at least midnight.' The psychologist told us, picking up the report of Ella from under the window. It must have made the smallest of noises because it was more than enough to send Ella looking towards the window, frowning slightly but we all noticed the small smile that toyed with the corners of her mouth. Much to my relief she didn't look too bad at all – she must have lost a bit of weight and her hair was tied back but there was no major injuries. The car crash injuries had already healed themselves from just over two days ago. I realised that was probably me who did that; when they were in hospital after, I did it without realising. We had yet to find out the state of our girls, or if they had deteriorated since the last time we saw them.

'Joe, you sure you want to do this?' The psychologist asks and Joe looked at him like he offered to wear a clown onesie then perform a striptease.

'Yeah.' Joe said firmly, door already on the door handle.

'It's been unlocked all this time,' The psychologist told him. I never saw my best friend, my cousin in law to be, want to murder someone as much as he did to the doctor.

Slowly, he opened the door and walked into the room, gently kicking the door shut behind him. Xav, Zed and I all held our breaths as Ella looked up at him, looking him up and down and frowning slightly before standing up again.

'Hey, Ella –' Joe said incredibly softly, and I knew he was worrying she would reject him again. But Ella just ran towards him, wrapping her arms around his neck and her head into his chest as he hugged her tight towards him. Joe visibly collapsed, hugging her tight as he spun her around as he kissed her neck, and I don't think he would be letting go of her any time soon. I heard Ella mumble something, but having her head in Joe's chest seriously muffled the words. Joe nodded, muttering something back.

'I think they'll be fine,' the psychologist said admiring their relationship. 'Let's leave them too it, and I'll grant you all passes so you can be there when your girls wake up. You'll all be with an emergency buzzer, in case it does go wrong but Ella's reaction was incredibly promising,'

As we walked out the room, I looked over my shoulder to see Joe and Ella sitting on the floor, still locked in each other's arm just Joe's hand had slipped down to her stomach. I can only guess with a sigh of relief that their baby was completely fine through this ordeal.

/

 **Hello!**

 **Okay, so I know this is getting a bit repetitive but I don't know if you guys want to see a third book or the end of this. Please tell me what you think or I will just stop writing but I dunno any more...**


	48. Chapter 47 - Lucy

Chapter 47 – Lucy

To say I had a killer headache was an understatement, and one of the century too. I had never wanted to curl up into my brain and cry as much as I did now. I sighed as the whack of exhaustion hit me full on. I rolled over onto my side, moaning slightly.

'You alright there?'

I immediately opened my eyes grinning as I saw Jason in front of me, leaning gently on my pillow where he looked back at me, smiling softly. He was pretty close to me, and he moved his hand gently to run his hand through my hair. I drank the sight of him in; he looked shattered and drained from nights of no sleep but it didn't detract from his brown eyes that were shining intently. I didn't even hesitate as I wrapped one of my arms around his neck and pulled him in for a kiss. He was surprised for a second, but kissed back, his arms hugging me tight towards his chest as he pulled me to sit up, supporting my waist the entire time, running his fingers on the small of my back. I was the one who pulled away, grinning the entire time.

'I'm guessing you're okay then?' Jason asked me, sitting on the edge of the bed and holding my hand, looking down and smiling softly when he saw the ring he brought me a few days ago.

'What day is it?'

'28th June,' Jason said and I nodded. I had somewhat lost track of what day it was, being unconscious for so long makes it tricky to be a good judge of time.

'How many days since the fourteen days has it been?' I asked, knowing it makes no sense but Jason just clenched his jaw and looked away.

'Four,' He whispered.

'And they've found Dixon's body?' I asked, trying to keep it together but my voice broke and Jason looked immediately back towards me with tears in his eyes. He got up and hugged me to his side as I started to cry – from sadness and grief of my best friend's death but relief I had Jason back. At least I had someone who cared for me. It took Jason five or so minutes to calm me down before he was able to speak.

'No, they haven't,' He said and I looked at him.

'But they should have!'

'They haven't yet, though,'

'She could still be alive!' I shouted at him, trying to get out of bed but got caught in the medial grade blanket, and fell to the floor. Jason immediately got up and ran around the side of the bed, kneeling on the floor beside me. He went to speak to me. 'Jason she could still be alive! You have to find her,'

'Lucy,' He said, full of remorse.

'You can't give up on her,' I whispered.

'We're not giving up on her, we have tried to track where they might have taken her but we can't find her,' Jason said softly. 'It's hopeful, though, it's broken the pattern,'

'Then find her!' I yelled at him before the realisation hit me hard. They tried looking and found nothing. They weren't giving up on her, and I knew Jason wouldn't but I couldn't just magic up their answers to find her. Jason would never just give up on Dixon, especially when her life was on the line. 'Sorry, sorry,' I whispered.

'It's okay, love,' Jason said softly, coming over to me and picking me up in his arms. He got up as I rested my head against his chest.

'Is everyone else okay?' I mumbled and felt Jason's stubble in my hair.

'The other girls have woken up, they're all fine, and whatever you all did it worked,' Jason said as he held me, sitting on his lap as he sat on my bed. 'You're free to go whenever you want too,'

'I can't go back to Bournemouth,' I whispered. 'Mara's gone back to her parents, right?'

Jason nodded. 'Yeah, she said she was going to wait until you come back to discuss what to do. She doesn't think she can live at the flat anymore,' he told me softly, rubbing my shoulders.

'I don't have anywhere to go, then, that was my home,' I said weakly and Jason looked at me.

'Move in with me, then,' Jason said.

I did a double take, before looking at him again, frowning the entire time. What did he just say? I knew he said I could if I wanted too but I never thought he was deadly serious. Really I didn't want too think about what would happen when I came back, knowing that Dixon was dead. But she might not have been. She might still be out there, alive. But neither Mara nor myself can live in the apartment anymore.

'You can move in with me, Luce,' Jason said softly again.

'I... I can't,'

'You can, my hamster will love you,' Jason said. 'Look, you can leave when you're awake, which you are now, come back to mine for a few days at least until you can talk everything through with Mara, alright?'

'You sure I'm not messing up your life?' I whispered to him, leaning against him as he held me tight against him.

'You're making my week, I got you another present and it's waiting for you at home,' Jason whispered to me.

'Stop buying me presents, you don't have too, and you're not suddenly inclined to because my...'

'I wanted too, it'll persuade you to stay hopefully,' Jason whispered before pushing the hair back from my face, 'Try and go back to sleep, I'll wake you up when we're home,' He said to me as my head lolled against his shoulder.

'I love you, Jason,' I whispered, amazed the words had come out of my mouth but I meant them. Jason was everything to me, and he proved himself as genuine over the last three weeks – finding me in Bournemouth and then not giving up on me when I was abducted. I knew, in my heart of hearts, that I loved Jason so much that I wanted to be with him forever but I was scared I was rushing ahead.

'I love you too,' Jason whispered as I grinned into his shoulder, closing my eyes feeling at home and relaxed for the first time in years.

'Cosmo, stop being adorable when Lucy's asleep,'

I heard Jason say to something and I frowned. The atmosphere seemed calmer and a lot more relaxed and I was laying on something soft and forgiving to my shattered body and I knew it wasn't a hospital bed. I snapped opened my eyes and knew I back in Jason's small house, on his sofa. There were three pillows under my head, a toy next to me and a blanket pulled up to my neck.

'Jason?' I asked softly and saw him come around the corner leading to the kitchen. He came over and sat next to me. 'I got discharged?'

'Yeah, there's nothing wrong with you,' Jason said to me, passing me a glass of water. I used my elbow to prop me up, taking the glass gently and downing the whole thing in one go. Jason watched me, smiling slightly. 'Well, there's a few minor things,'

'What do you mean?' I asked.

'You're mainly dehydrated and extremely weak from not eating properly, so I'm waiting on you hand and foot until you're okay. A badly bruised rib I'm working on – I've never done bruised bones - And you've just, you know,' Jason said awkwardly looking away.

'I know?' I asked confused.

'You started lady things in hospital but I think you've finished lady things,' Jason said softly and I blushed intensely. I covered my face with the duvet and Jason immediately got up and hugged me slightly awkwardly. 'Luce, don't be embarrassed it's a completely normal thing,'

'It's so embarrassing,' I mumbled.

'No it's not – oh Cosmo, Jesus, you can't trust him-' Jason said and I frowned. What was Cosmo?

'Cosmo?' I whispered as I felt the redness slip away from my face. I moved the duvet slightly, looking at Jason running into the kitchen where there was a clank of pans.

'Er, yeah, I brought you a present.'

'Stop buying my presents,' I mumbled slightly.

'After this one, fine, but I was talking to Matthew the other day and he said you never had a pet and you always wanted a house pet but your last landlord didn't want to you too. I've asked my landlord and he seems cool with it even though I'm still looking at moving, but anyway, meet your new kitten Cosmo,' Jason explained and I frowned? Kitten?

Jason came out of the kitchen, holding something in his left arm and I heard a small meow as I sat up with my jaw still dropped. The small kitten was in his arms, behind held like a baby. It was a tuxedo cat; predominantly black with a white chest. I stood up amazed, gently rubbing the cats chest as he started to purr.

'Hold him like a baby, he loves it,' Jason said softly, as I put my arms out to pick up Cosmo. Sure enough, the cat was more than happy to be held upside down as I fussed him, his paw moving to the top of my hand as he meowed softly. Slowly, Jason came to sit beside me, putting his arm around me.

'Why?' I asked, choking up slightly.

'Why what?' Jason asked me softly, looking down at me slightly as he smiled at me softly, leaning down to kiss me slightly, biting my lip as he pulled away.

'Do this? Why do all of this?'

'Because I love you, Luce, I love you to pieces. I don't ever want you to leave and I know you have issues with being close to people and I just want to show you that I really do care, and I really do love you and I'm not like your family. I won't ever hurt you, and neither will I leave you. Lucy, you are everything to me,' Jason said softly, and I knew he wasn't lying to me.

'I love you too Jason, but you didn't need to buy me a kitten,' I whispered, putting the cat on my lap, and he curled up into me as Jason fussed him softly.

'Eh,' Jason said softly.

I looked down at Cosmo, who jumped off my lap and onto the floor, stretching before walking into his bed. I grinned at Cosmo, my love for the kitten unfaltering already before looking at Jason, who was looking at me instead of the cat with a look in his eyes that shone in the low light of his house at night and the deep look caught me off guard. He slipped his hand into mine, still smiling, as he gently lifted my chin up and kissed me.

I don't know what had got into me, but there was a certain hunger for him. I needed him. I wrapped my arms around his neck, climbing onto his lap as I deepened the kiss. I knew I caught Jason off guard before his hands started to hold my waist, lifting my shirt up slightly before he froze, pulling himself off me.

'No,' He scolded me softly and I sulked. 'Not when you're this ill,'

'I'm not ill, I've been discharge from hospital, and you just said I'm fine!' I sulked as Jason wrapped his arms around me again, pulling me to lie on top of him.

'You're dehydrated and ill, it's not happening no matter how much you argue,' Jason said softly and I sulked into his chest.

'It's not fair,'

'Some things I can't control,' Jason laughed, hugging me tight.

Even as I relaxed into his arms that night when exhaustion hit me so much I couldn't even make it up the stairs and Jason had to carry me, I couldn't get out the words of how thankful I was for Jason to be there for me. I sighed slightly, snuggling into his hard chest as I looked up at him, wanting nothing more than for us to be together forever and have thousands of children. Well, slight exaggeration but I couldn't see a life that wouldn't end up with marriage and children. I knew deep inside me that I wanted children, especially after seeing how good Jason was with Lily or with children in general but I couldn't just approach him and tell him I want children. I looked up at Jason slightly, and he was looking straight down at me smiling like he normally does – that slow, incredibly hot subtle smile that meant something but I couldn't work out what. He kissed my forehead.

'Go to sleep, Luce,' He whispered softly, making sure the duvet was over me.

'You too,' I told him back.

'I'm just thinking,' Jason said softly.

'About what?'

'What you were saying in your sleep in the hospital,' Jason said and I simply raised an eyebrow. 'You were so coherent that the doctors thought you were awake even though I knew you were asleep. You kept mentioning children and babies and wanting a kid,' Jason whispered and I felt horrified. He heard that. 'We could.'

'You what now?'

'Not now, but if you wanted a kid in the next few months when we have everything sorted, we could.' Jason whispered. 'You know I want a baby as much as you do, so just say a time and a place and I'll be there, and also you did mention it in Nando's, too,' He joked and I hit him slightly.

'You being serious?'

'Of course I am, Luce, you know that,' Jason said softly, kissing my crown again as I nodded before relaxing into him a bit more and falling asleep.

 **Hello!**

 **So I've had quite a few reviews (BlueDreamer31, BookMove, MarkyThurman, lPancaked and quite a few anonymous ones too,) and honestly it really does mean everything. I know I don't often reply to them because I'm not entirely sure how but it really does mean everything and it made a shitty day at work good! So at some point over this Bank Holiday weekend I'll start uploading Destroying Sam and I promise I'll be a bit more talkative in that book and will reply to reviews properly if I ever find a way to not be awkward!**


	49. Chapter 48 - Lucy

Chapter 48

We had woken up the next day still in an embrace, Jason's sturdy arms around me and my head resting on his shoulders – however Cosmo had decided to join us as well, lying also on Jason's chest but the crook of my arm where I had my hand splayed against him. I gently laughed when I saw the cat purring away to himself and Jason's hand around my waist tightened slightly.

'Morning beautiful,' Jason whispered softly, kissing my forehead and I started stroking the cat, who was still asleep. 'How are you feeling?'

'Better,' I said to him and I dropped my shields, knowing he would take the liberty of checking my brain. Sure enough, I felt him gently look around but nothing too invasive.

'I'll let you off this time – with a good breakfast, you'll be okay,' Jason said and I looked up at him grinning. We were safe, we were home and we even had a cat now. And I had the vague promise of Jason last night telling me whenever I wanted a child, we would do it. Quite literally.

'We've got a busy day?' I asked Jason, rolling over onto my side a bit more and he nodded.

'Yeah, I'm afraid. We've got Joe, Ella and Lily all coming over this morning they said to see us and how we're doing but I have a feeling it because they want to see Cosmo, and then Matthew said he'll be around here midday for a few hours before he'll leave to go back to Bournemouth, and then we have to go to base to get all your paperwork sent off and I think big boss wants to speak with you as well,' Jason explained.

'Why does she want to speak to me?' I asked nervous.

'I think they just want to ask about if you want to be transferred.' Jason whispered.

'Right,' I replied. 'Are you sure you're not joking about me moving in,'

'Of course I'm not joking or anything. This is the best way to wake up – well, maybe not the cat waking you up three in the morning because he was so happy he got cuddles,' Jason joked, fussing Cosmo. 'Lucy, I really do love you. You moving in with me would just be brilliant. I really do mean that.'

'So, I should get transferred then?' I whispered to him.

'Probably, if they ask you to come up here snap at the opportunity today. If not, I'll get the paperwork to sign you up here myself, get Ella to write it off for me,'

'Why can Ella write it off?' I asked, frowning.

'During the mission to get you off, the man who was in charge, Cassian, who's the assistant manager refused to take charge and was being a general dick. He refused to let us see you, basically, so Michael and Joe kicked off when we got back. He took an early retirement so the role of assistant manager was going free. Of course, Susan, the big boss, is the one to choose who it is based on her trust and respect. She made the announcement it wouldn't go to one person, but split across three people as two had kids.'

'Ella?' I asked and he nodded.

'Ella with Joe was one of them – they're kind of a unit together, you can't have one without the other, Joe's brother Jake was the other one, and Ella's brother Michael was the third. So now I can just ask Ella to sign off paperwork and it's done easy as, you'll work with me,' Jason whispered softly.

'I'd love that,' I told him and he grinned down at me, kissing me softly as Cosmo jumped off his chest and ran out of the room.

Jason tightened his grip around my waist, deepening the kiss and moaned slightly as I climbed over him, not breaking the urgency of the kiss at all. Jason's hand lifted my shirt up slightly and he rubbed the small of my back, his hands slowly edging up before he froze and pulled away.

'Lucy,' He said, out of breath and I kissed him.

'I want too,' I whispered back.

'Are you sure?'

'Yes,' I told him and he met my gaze for a second, nodding before he started to kiss me again, lifting my shirt off and pushing me down into bed.

Two hours later, we had breakfast and snacks too and were now dressed and sitting down in the lounge but since we did the naughty; we couldn't keep our hands off each other. Even as he sat watching TV, with Cosmo asleep in his bed, Jason kept running his hand around my waist, occasionally slipping up a bit more to rub against a bruised rib he had been fixing up for me and it was extremely distracting – and he knew it too, the little shit.

We heard a key in the front door we immediately added some more space between us, Jason removing his hand from under my shirt and clearing his throat as I pulled my shirt up to cover some of the hickies Jason had managed to give me within the last twenty four hours. I didn't mind though.

'Hello,' Joe said as he came through the door and I turned around to look at them all. Joe looked incredibly happy, grinning the entire time and I noticed he had his arm around Ella, and I noticed the look he gave Ella was the same look Jason gave me – and I noticed it was pure love and dedication. On Ella's hip was a very happy Lily, hugging Ella like she never wanted to let her Mum out of her sights again. 'You have a cat we want to see,'

'Mate, you're meant to be subtle. We came to see you, see how you are, not "you have a cat," You just can't get it right,' Jason said and Joe grinned as Ella put down Lily on the floor, and the toddler hugged her leg before noticing me in the settee.

'Princess!' Lily shouted, running around and hugging my legs before climbing onto my lap, hugging me. 'I missed you, Princess,' Lily whispered hugging me tight. I was slightly awkward at first before hugging her back.

'I missed you too, Lily,' I said softly and she smiled at me, kissing me on the cheek slightly sloppily before sliding back down and sitting in between myself and Jason.

'Lils, why did you miss me out?' Jason asked, holding out his arm and Lily immediately hugged him as Ella and Joe came to sit down on the small foot cushion.

'I saw you lots when Mummy and Princess were on holiday,' Lily laughed but kissed Jason on the cheek anyway.

'How are you doing?' Ella asked me softly and I nodded. In myself I felt pretty brilliant. I grinned at Jason who was still tiggling Lily, who was laughing at Jason. He will be such a good Dad when the time came.

'I'm okay,' I replied to her and she nodded.

'Probably a bit better than okay?' Ella raised her eyebrow and I grinned at her back, smiling. 'Good, you deserve happiness and even if that comes in the shape of a moron than I am not judging you because look at the state of mine,' Ella joked looking at Joe who was sitting next to her on his phone, before looking at her knowing she was talking about him and grinned at her, kissing her gently. 'Is that Cosmo?' Ella said, nodding towards the stairs where the cat had been sitting on the stairs. Jason quickly put Lily on the seat beside me and got up to get the cat.

'Yeah, that's the cat you came to see,' Jason joked, picking up Cosmo through the banister and carrying him over to the settee.

'He's so cute!' Lily said as Jason sat beside me when Lily ran back to her parents, whispering something to Ella, who then nodded to the bag Joe was holding. Lily walked over and said something to her Dad who gave her the backpack, putting his hand on the back of Lily's back as she got out a present from the bag. She went to walk over before quickly hugging Ella and standing back with her. Both Jason and I had kept an eye on the toddler as she looked hesitant. Lily looked back over to Ella.

'Er, Lily got you something for Cosmo,' Ella said softly and Lily walked over slightly and handed me the present before running back to Ella blushing.

'Thanks Lily,' Jason said softly and she grinned slightly from the comfort of Joe's lap where he picked her up. Cosmo, who was now interested by the shiny paper and was pawing at it.

 _I don't think our cat has the mental ability to be able to open presents yet,_ Jason gently told me telepathically as I started to take the selotape off as I realised everyone in this room was my family. Jason meant everything to me, and so did our kitten, but Ella and Joe as well as Lily were practically my siblings now too.

'Matthew isn't coming up today,' I said, throwing my phone into the settee as I fell onto Jason who caught me, laying me down on his chest and pulling the blanket around my shoulders. Ella, Joe and Lily had left a few hours ago and it was only when Matthew didn't turn up I was forced to call him, and he was in a gridlock after road works went wrong. I simply told him to turn around and head home which gave the evening to Jason and myself.

'So we have time before going into Maui to spare,' Jason whispered lowly, running his fingers up my spine as I shivered, grinning up at him. 'I have corrupted you,' He whispered.

'I don't mind,' I whispered, kissing down his neck and collarbone as he shuddered.

'Not in front of the cat,' Jason muttered and I looked at the kitten, which was asleep in his bed. As I looked, Jason flipped me over so I was lying down and he was on his side, looking at me with a smug look on his face. 'Didn't expect that, did you?' Jason whispered to me, kissing me softly.

'So what is wrong with me?' I asked, trying to ignore the desire to wrap my arms around Jason's neck and pulling him down to kiss me again and maybe slightly more.

'Just a few bruises,' Jason whispered after a second. 'I've fixed everything up for you so far; I fixed your leg from the bus crash and then your arm from the Jeep crash, and then you had a cracked and bruised rip for a while, which I'm working on,' as he spoke his hand brushed up my shirt and rubbed my bottom ribs, running his finger under the hem of my bralet. 'You'll be fine, baby,' He whispered to me.

'I'm okay,'

'You are,' Jason whispered softly, kissing me.


	50. Chapter 50 - Jason

**Chapter 50 – Jason**

'How do I look?' Lucy asked as she came out of the kitchen in a short black summer dress, which was lacy on the top half with sown-in black flower patterns, gathered in a waistband which pinched in at her tiny waist and flowed to a stop mid-knee. She had finished the look with a pair of white converse. She looked nervously at me, biting the corner of her thumb nail as I stood up and walked over to her, putting my arms around her waist.

'You look beautiful,' I whispered to her, kissing the top of her nose as she looked away. 'Stop being so nervous, it'll be fine,'

'Easy for you to say,' Lucy whispered slightly, returning my hug.

'Come on,' I whispered to her, tapping into her brain and reducing her pulse and slight nausea she had built up due to the nerves. I pulled her tight into me a she started to shake, resting her head against my chest. For both of us, and us as a couple, it was a big day. Lucy was starting her first day at Maui, and whilst she was at work we were moving house too. I had the day off to make sure everything went smoothly. When she came home from work today, Ella was dropping her off at our new house. Not only that, if all went to plan, I was also hoping to propose tonight. New start, that kind of thing. Obviously she didn't know about the latter. 'It'll be okay,'

'You sure you don't need help, I can just call in sick,'

'No you're not. I'll be fine, baby, all I would be doing is moving furniture, and I have Joe's brain to help me with that,' I whispered and she smiled slightly, kissing my lower jaw. 'You're with Ella the entire day, you'll be fine and when you come back to a new house,'

We heard a car horn outside beep and a door slam closed and we waited for a second, hearing the sound of someone walking down the gravelled walkway.

'I love you,' Lucy whispered to me.

'I love you too,' I said back, kissing her as we heard a key in the front door.

'Er, this is slightly awkward,' Joe said as he walked into the scene of us two kissing and stood awkwardly on the doorstep. 'You look nice, Lucy,' Joe said sweetly and I rolled my eyes. Joe doesn't understand how charismatic he can sound. He had turned from knowing he was charismatic and could hit on anyone "accidently", but now he would say sweet and could make even the toughest women blush. However, it was clear to see how devoted he was to Ella and wouldn't even consider cheating on her. I knew how my best friend had changed when he met his Soulfinder, and I had even seen the changed in myself since I've met Lucy.

Lucy smiled shyly at Joe, before grabbing her bag from the floor.

'I'm just going to find your cat,' Joe said, walking upstairs to find Cosmo where he was no doubt asleep on the bed.

'I'm scared,' Lucy whispered to me and I hugged her tight.

'I believe in you,' I told her. 'You can do this; you're just terrified of Ella leaving you. She's true to her word, she won't leave you alone. You can do this, Lucy,'

'You think I can?' She whispered.

'Of course you can,' I told her. 'And when you're home tonight, we'll order some take out, and we'll just relax,'

'Okay,' Lucy whispered, nodding.

'Come on then,' I said, gently taking her hand and the bag she had dropped on the floor before leading her out of the house, walking her up the paved slabs that doubled as stepping stones across the gravel and to Ella's new car – a Clio that Maui had brought for her as a thank you for stepping up to her new role. She had refused it for a while, saying they didn't need two cars, but Susan forced her to accept it and kept using their baby on the way as an excuse. That, and Lily was due to start pre school soon, so they'd have to do a school run as well. Ella more or less accepted it because she had to rather than she wanted too. I saw Ella frown at me slightly from behind the wheel.

 _She's terrified._

 _I don't blame her._ Ella retorted and I frowned, getting ready to snap at her. _I'm joking, bloody hell. Clearly got that from your Dad didn't you?_

In the last few weeks, I had got rather close with my father and my new family, driving up a few times to go for dinner or just spending the day up there. It had got to a stage that even the eldest child, Marc, had started to willingly speak to me.

 _Be nice to her, won't you?_

I looked at her through the front window as she gave me a dirty look. Of course I knew she would be lovely to Lucy and be very maternal and caring of her, but I was still terrified. What if she didn't like it? What if she came home tonight and she was in tears and I was there waiting for her on one knee?

 _You know I will._ Ella simply replied. I saw her turn around in the car to say something to the passenger in the back, and soon after the back door opened and Lily came running out to hug Lucy. Without any doubt, Lucy let go of my hand and crouched down so Lily could hug her. In almost a fluid action she picked up Lily and put her hip as Lily continued to hug her.

'Princess going to work?' Lily asked and Lucy smiled and nodded. 'So am I!'

'Lily, you're going to play,' Ella sighed as she got out the car.

'I'm still working,' Lily laughed.

'You ready then?' Ella asked Lucy and she nodded. Lucy gently kneeled down in her short dress, putting Lily down who kissed her on the cheek before running back to the car, climbing into the back and I assume into her child seat.

'How does Lily know how to do her car seat up?' I asked.

'I have no idea.' Ella joked as Lucy hovered by the front passenger door. 'You're cool to get in,'

I watched as Lucy got into the car, watching me anxiously as she put on her belt, and then turn around to talk to Lily, who no doubt started asking her fifty questions like the toddler normally does.

'She'll be fine,' Ella immediately said to me. 'Your cat is watching us,'

'You won't push her too much, she's extremely fragile and she's not quite good yet from what has happened. She's terrified and she's never been involved with things like this before, she's only ever done the paperwork side of it, she's not used to seeing the things we are and I don't want her sad tonight when she comes home from work because...'

'Because you're going to propose, yes, Jason, I got this rant the first time you said it,' Ella joked and I looked at her. 'You know I won't make her do anything harsh or too bad, and you know I'll make sure she's okay, just focus on moving house and buying that ring, alright?' Ella said, patting my arm walking around to the driver's door. 'Right, you're just going to wave and walk away, no sobbing and no tearful goodbyes,' She said as she got into the car. I did what she said, I just waved and walked back down the path, not even looking over my shoulder until I was in the conservatory. And even then, Ella and Lucy were talking as they reversed out of the parking spot and drove away.

'Dude, they're going to work not leaving the country forever,' Joe commented sitting on the stairs looking at me.

'I know it's stupid,' I muttered.

'I never said it was stupid. I said they're going to work, not leaving the country –'

'You're meant to be helping me!' I laughed as Joe stood up on the stairs, picking up the kitten and holding him like a baby – the cat happily purred at the attention.

'I am helping you,' Joe protested. 'It is currently half seven. The shops in Reading including the ring shop you would be looking at open at nine, and the removal vans come at one. Ella should drop Lucy off at half seven again. Twelve hour to get your shit sorted – do you think you can do it?'

'Of course I can,' I protested and he put down Cosmo on the floor.

'Okay, cool, let's pack up the rest of your shit then,'

We had made our way into Reading town centre for ten o'clock, with the last few items from the house packed down into boxes all ready to be placed onto the delivery van when they arrived. I stood awkwardly on the street corner, waiting for the many buses to pass before the pedestrian light went green. Joe stood beside me acting like it was a normal day, hands deep in his pockets looking around the streets, his Ray-Bans on to protect against the summer's sun which was baring down on us.

'You need to calm down and remember to breath,' Joe simply said and I immediately turned on the spot and walked back down. Joe turned as well.

'Where are we going now then?' Joe asked.

'We need clothes,' I said as a lie. I just needed more time to consider everything. I wanted to do this but I was so terrified of being let down, or Lucy walking out because she wasn't ready or she didn't love me. Joe simply frowned at me and shrugged.

'If you insist,' He said as we walked into Primark.

Half an hour of shopping later and only a pair of jeans brought on my behalf, and half of the children's section brought for Lily, including shorts and thin summer shirts, and some baby grows brought for the new baby. Joe had informed me Ella had gone for the twelve week scan only the day previous and the baby seemed completely fine despite everything that had happened in between them finding out at six weeks (even though they thought it was a lot earlier than that) and now. Joe had told me he knew Ella was having a boy, and Lily would have a brother despite not having the gender revealed in the scan. Hearing Joe talk so fluently about his daughter, his wife-to-be and his son-to-be was entirely relaxing as it showed to me that it was possible to have kids at a young age and be an incredibly good parent. Especially if Lucy and I did go on to have children within the next few months like we had discussed.

'Should we get food now?' I asked, the shopping spree still not taking my mind off the fear of rejection from the one I loved. Joe simply pulled out his phone – the lock screen an adorable photo of Ella and Lily and looked at the time.

'You have already put this off for... four hours. No. You're buying that God damn ring now,' Joe said.

'I'm hungry,'

'And I don't give a shit. If you don't buy that ring now you're going to go through every single shop within a three mile radius to put it off.' Joe said, walking across the road and I trailed him. 'You're just going to have to man up and do it,'

Sulking slightly, I followed Joe across the road and into the Broad Mall – and took a sharp right into the shop he told me he had brought Ella's engagement rings from, and then their weddings bands for a few weeks time. The shop was silent and only one lady was behind the counter, smiling as she came up to us.

'Can I help at all?' She asked sweetly.

'Er, I'm just looking for engagement rings, that's all. I saw a few online,' I muttered.

'If you have the reference codes I can look out the back for you?' She said and Joe nodded.

'That would be brilliant,' Joe said, pulling out my phone from my back pocket.

'Is the ring for you two?' she asked, writing down the codes from the print screens on my phone and I grinned.

'Yes,' I replied and Joe shot me the dirtiest look ever.

'He's joking, no. It's for his girlfriend. I'm already married,' Joe smiled back at her whilst mentally flipping me off.

'Give me a second, I'll get those rings for you,' And with that, the sales assistant was gone.

'You little shit, this is the last time I'm helping you,' Joe muttered and I grinned at him.

'Mate, you owe me a favour or two, it's fine.'

'Why do I owe you?' Joe said, pretending to look at the display counters.

'I'm your best man, and I babysit Lily a lot for you,'

'I decided you were best man, that's not a favour, you didn't volunteer and you're doing it completely willingly. I mean, you're even willing to do a speech so that's how willing you are. Also, babysitting doesn't count if either me or Ella are there, and if you ask.' Joe pointed out and I shrugged.

'I drove down to Cornwall to be the guide home for you and Ella!'

'That was nearly four years ago.'

'We're equal then?'

'Fine, shortarse,' Joe joked, rubbing my hair. I sighed, knowing I was quite tall in comparison to other people, I just wasn't as lanky as Mr. Six foot and four inches to my side. 'Mate, I know this is terrifying but there is no way Lucy will turn you down, and I know that for certain,' He gave me a slightly pointed look and I knew what he meant. His gift meant he could alter peoples mind sets and lived in everyone's minds he met and could see events based on how the person viewed themselves. If they were constantly regretting the past, he could see why but if they lived in the future it meant Joe could see their future. That pointed look basically meant he saw the future and knew Lucy and I were going to get engaged. Because Lucy regretted so much of her past and the abuse she had been through, it allowed Joe to remove all emotions that she had about them which no doubt made her recovery better. She was a completely different person from when I first met her; she was more confident and was able to sleep without having terrible dreams (even if it meant in her sleep she would use her gift and go invisible but I just found it incredibly interesting to watch) but I wouldn't change her. The kidnapping was done by her father, and whilst I think she knew this she didn't bring it up. She was dealing with everything so well it would just be unfair to question her about it.

That night, Joe had left me at seven in our new four bedroom house, the main bulky furniture roughly in place, the entire house cleaned top to bottom and the boxes of items now in each allocated room. I had got a text from Ella just over an hour ago saying they were leaving base, and to expect Lucy home in just over an hour. I had been patiently sitting on the settee, waiting her arrival like a mess. I couldn't help but feel sick with nerves and the cat wasn't helping me – he was just sitting on the fireplace watching me judgementally. Slowly, I pulled out the ring box from my pocket and opened it; inside was the ring I knew Lucy would love. Well, I didn't know that, but Joe had told me that one was the one she was wearing in the premonition and she adored it to pieces. I just had to trust my best friend on this occasion. It was fairly simple – a white gold band, with a diamond in the middle, and smaller aqua-coloured gems (the sales assistant told me the name of them but can I remember? Nope!) around the outside.

I don't know how long I had sat staring at the ring in my shaky hands but I jumped when I heard the door shut, and the sound of Lucy's voice drifting through the air. Quickly, I shoved the ring box back in my jeans and went to open the door for her.

'How was it?' I asked her the second she walked through the door, before bending down slightly to kiss her, wrapping my arms around her waist as the door closed on its own accord.

'It was good,' Lucy said, kissing me back. 'I'm tired, though, it's a lot more full on than paperwork,' She joked before looking around our new house. 'You got a lot done,'

'Joe did all the furniture,' I explained and she nodded. Joe's telekinesis was incredible, and he was able to move sofa's with no trouble at all whilst having a cup of tea. I could barely _move_ a cup of tea. 'I, er, have something to tell you,' I whispered, opening the wooden door to the lounge.

'What is this?' Lucy whispered as she took in the scene in front of her. On the floor was seventy five tea light candles and with the lights turned off it looked quite romantic and cute – Cosmo was sitting on the fireplace and meowed when he saw Lucy, but didn't dare to weave through the candles. He was more than content there, as when we brought him here that was the first place he went and had yet to move from there.

Lucy frowned up at me with her green eyes shadowed with confusion.

'Tell me if this is all too much, okay?' I asked her and she just frowned even more. 'I, er, well. I don't quite know how to say this. I know we haven't been together long, and we've had quite a few disruptions along the way but you mean everything to me. I would have lost if it if you wasn't here with me. You mean the world to me, Lucy, and I made a mistake in not preparing a cute speech,'

'What the Hell are you chatting, Jason?' Lucy asked confused. Sighing slightly, I dropped my grip on her hands, pulled out the box from my back pocket and got down on one knee. Lucy's mouth just dropped slightly as she stepped back and nearly onto a candle.

'Careful, love, I don't want you catching fire,' I joked as she just gawped at me. 'Lucy, will you marry me?'

'Are you joking?' she whispered and I looked at the cat. Well, this is awkward. Even the cat seemed slightly smug.

'Er, no,' I whispered.

'Jason, I...'

'You can say no, I understand,' I muttered completely heartbroken.

'Of course I will, you muppet,' She whispered and I got up and hugged her tight before kissing her and she started to cry slightly.

'No, please don't cry,' I whispered to her as I put the ring on her shaking finger.

'I had no idea,' She said, falling back into my chest as I hugged my girlfriend. Well, fiancée. I grinned again as she pulled back suddenly, wiping a tear away. 'When did you do all of this?' She whispered softly.

'Today, Joe helped me.' I told her as she stared down at the ring in amazement, twirling it slightly to catch the light better on the ring. I gently held her hand.

'Are you sure?' She whispered to me, looking up at me with tears in her eyes as she smiled.

'Of course I'm sure. I love you to pieces, Lucy, of course I'm sure,' I told her as she leapt forward, wrapping her arms around my neck as she kissed me hard, and I picked up her, holding my precious girl tight to me.

* * *

 **\- END OF PART ONE, TO BE CONTINUED IN BUILDING JASON AND DESTROYING SAM -**

* * *

 **Hello! So, that's the end of Shattering Lucy. However, like I did for Capturing Ella there will be another smaller mini book after this takes place, but continues from this moment called "Building Jason," but I am in the middle of writing it. I normally have a backlog of chapters, and for every other book I've done I still do. Not this one though. Well, I have one chapter so give me time. However, the book after this has been published and I'm still working on chapter for that one. Of course, Destroying Sam includes Jason and Lucy, Ella and Joe as well as Lily and mainly focuses around Michael and it's up to be read now! :)**

 **Anyway, thank you so much for reviewing and reading and I hope I haven't let you down! :)**


	51. Chapter 51 - Jason

That night, we sat on the sofa in our new house, me hugging her to my side as she lay there contently, a blanket over her lap. Cosmo, who had moved from the fireplace was laying on her lap. Even though she thought I was watching TV, I was watching her with intent as every so often she gently moved her left hand, fiddling with her engagement ring and I saw her grin occasionally before snuggling back down again. This had gone on for about twenty minutes before Lucy mumbled something.

'What'd you say?' I muttered, kissing her head.

'I'm so thankful I met you,' She whispered.

'I don't know where I would be without you,' I said into her hair.

'I still feel bad for punching you in the face,' Lucy said and I hesitated, before I realised exactly what she was on about and I laughed. The first time we met each other and stayed in the same bed, she started to have a bad dream as I tried to wake her up. She then punched me in the face.

'That was brilliant,' I laughed.

'I punched you,' She whispered, 'How is that brilliant?'

'It was incredible, you didn't even go for it and it broke my nose – you're incredible,' I joked with her. 'Hell of a story to tell our children,'

'You still want children?' Lucy asked me and I hesitated.

'Of course I do... do you?'

The silence between us two was stagnant as Lucy had thought, and she had started to sink her back into my chest, the cat waking up and stretching on her lap.

'I really do,' She whispered, 'I know it's weird and it's too soon, but I really do,' She whispered and I touched her upper thigh.

'Like, now?' I asked.

'Maybe not now, but maybe in the next few weeks or in the foreseeable future?' Lucy whispered to me and I grinned into her hair. I was terrified of having children now, but Ella had pointed out these things take time; whilst Lily was made in an hour or so first time around, her son who was yet to be born (and officially gendered) took quite a while to conceive. However, Ella did point out it's hard to do the naughty when you have a nosey three year old. She said give it four months or so – because you only have two days a month that's perfect – adding on the nine months of pregnancy. It would be happening in over a year time. I would be ready then. But not only that, watching Lucy's pregnancy would bring it to life and force me to understand.

'Whenever you're ready,' I told her. 'It's your body, if you think you'll be able to do it and you want to, tell me and we will,'

'Do you think I can?' Lucy asked me softly.

'Of course I do, and you'll be a brilliant Mum too,' I told her and she curled up.

'Come on, bed time, we have work tomorrow and you get to brag about your new ring,' I said, scooping her up in my arm and carrying her up as she laughed, wrapping her arms around my neck.

'How good of a job did we do?' Joe asked me quietly the next day, when I was laying on his desk throwing about a tennis ball and he was sitting on chair cross legged with his laptop open.

'Er, me. I did a good job,' I said as he just frowned at me.

'Without me, you wouldn't have brought a ring. You would have proposed with left over Nandos.' Joe simply said.

'Nandos...' I muttered.

'No, terrible idea,' Joe sighed. 'Did she like the ring?'

'She loves it.' I told him and he nodded.

'Still shitting yourself about the idea of having kids?' Joe asked and I did a double take. 'Lucy told Ella you were scared. Which, I'm not going to lie to you, you should be,'

'You can't say things like that,' I told me and he frowned.

'Why not?'

'That's not spirit boosting,'

'Well, you have to know what you're going to be up against, the sleepless nights, the loud, annoying crying, the amount of times you'll get puked on – and that's just Lucy,' Joe joked, not looking up from his laptop. I just stared at him. 'It's not easy, Jason, you are aware of that, correct?'

'Of course I am, I've looked after Lily when she was a baby,' I protested to her.

'You look after her for a few hours every week or so, completely different,' Joe insisted.

'Well, you're willingly doing it again so it can't be that bad,' I retorted and he finally put down the laptop lid and frowned.

'I'm not doing it for the whole event again; if we could just skip the nine months of crabby Ella and tearful Ella I would do in a heartbeat because my god they are painful months, tedious nights. I mean, the love you get for this unborn child is incredible, and you will love Lucy in such a new way. I love Ella to pieces; she is everything to me, but the pregnancy hormones? They can fuck _right_ off,'

I swallowed as I started to realise that Joe was telling the truth. I sat up on the desk, looking over and frowning at him. He's never said a bad word against Ella since he met her – and even when she left to Colorado without so much as a word after they slept together and made Lily, he was nothing but lovely and pure about it. He loved her from the second he saw her – like I loved Lucy from the moment I saw her.

'It's bad,' I told him and he nodded.

'Ella wasn't too bad with Lils, she didn't know for weeks but in hindsight, it took a major hit in her confidence, she was constantly doubting how good she was, and she got a bit dark too, and then just incredibly tearful. Near the end it was just tedious, she was just so fed up and she was so irritable. I pissed her off badly by sneaking around to the hospital and she was so annoyed for two weeks, and then she broke down apologising and went into labour that night,' Joe told me.

'So it's better after?' I asked, sitting down.

'Don't be so stupid,' Joe said. Oh god.

'The way to look at it is you go into hospital with this crabby lady that you love and you come out with two babies. One is your child that you had no idea you could love as much as you do. You'll never tire of holding them, and they are just you entire world. The other is this woman you love so much who just gave birth to your kid, but they're in so much pain cause if you think about birth enough you start to realise how bad it actually is, and they're tired, and so emotional, and for a while it's extremely tricky because you're both tired but this baby relies so heavily on you, you're up all hours, and then you go back to work and you realise you cannot function without knowing the baby is within a few meters of you. It's an incredibly odd experience,'

'But would you change it?' I asked him.

'Of course not, I love Lily to bits,' He replied back, 'and I love the baby too, but you both need to know what you're getting yourself into before you... you know,' He waved his around a bit.

\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\\\/

That night, I went home with a few bags of shopping and I was in the middle of putting it away, all whilst trying to keep the cat out of the fridge, when I heard the car door close outside. I straightened my back slightly, unable to see if it was Lucy through the window as I drew the curtain. I had a half day, being sent home by Susan to try and get the house as moved in, unpacked and so on. I had done well considering the time; I had been home for about four hours and had completely unpacked the bathroom, bedroom and had started to decorate the second bedroom before deciding to go and pick up some food as we had binned the majority of fridge and freezer food when we moved from the flat. Cosmo, however, must have inhaled paint fumes and has gone a bit insane, deciding it was funny to keep climbing in and out of the freezer, and then the fridge, the second I turned my back. Or if he wasn't in the fridge, he was on top of it watching me, or just kept disappearing. Seriously, having a baby must be a lot simpler than having a cat because I can guarantee you; the baby wouldn't just disappear from its cot and end up next to the cheese.

I looked back down to the fridge, noticing the small black and white moving blob in the middle shelf and sighed, picking up Cosmo before walking to the front door.

'Cosmo, I swear to God if you decide to be an asshole when Lucy is here,' I muttered to the cat and he meowed back. I instantly had to give forgiveness to my cat.

I was just by the door when Lucy opened the front door, closing it behind her and dumped her bag on the floor. I immediately walked over to her, kissing her slightly.

'Hi,' She whispered, but I dunno if it was to me or the cat.

'How was work?' I asked her.

'Long, I missed you,' She muttered back as Cosmo jumped from my arms onto the floor and I pulled her into my chest. 'Why did you have to leave early?'

'Try and get this place unpacked, decorated and so on,' I muttered back.

We heard a faint meow, and I sighed.

'I swear to God if that Cat is in the fridge again,' I said, letting go of Lucy before I walked into the kitchen. Sure enough, Cosmo was enjoying his newfound spot in the middle shelf in the fridge. I sighed angrily.

'Why didn't you just close the fridge?' Lucy joked with me.

'Because I was too busy getting him out the fridge, he loves it in there,' I replied back, putting Cosmo in the bowl in the sink before turning on the tap gently, so he could play with the running water. That would hopefully keep him entertained.

'Jason...' I heard Lucy whisper beside me and I turned around, just in time to see Lucy faint.


	52. Chapter 52 - Lucy

Chapter 52 – Lucy

I made a silent vow that the next time I woke up in a hospital, I would sign some form of legal document that stated I could not attend any form of medical building. Any. Jason was my portable hospital – and saved the NHS some money too – so why I spend so much time in these buildings I would never know. But still, I ended up in the clinical-feeling rooms, with that dramatic hiss and beeps of machines that appear to always be hooked up to you for no apparent reason and the faint smell of cleaning chemicals that lingered within the air. There was a sweet smell of flowers from nearby and I heard the faint sound of someone writing on thin paper, the pen making an engraving noise and whoever was holding the pen had a strong grip.

But why did I end up in a hospital-type building? I couldn't remember. It had been a relatively normal day for me; my normal start at nine and my finish at six with Ella picking me up and dropping me off until I hopefully passed my driving test at the end of the month. Ella had full faith in my driving, and she even took me out whilst we were clocked in at work to go through the driving test manuvers that we had to complete – well, we would complete only one that was instructed of us and perhaps an emergency stop too. I had been scared, but somehow I completely remembered how to parallel park, reverse around a corner and turn in the road, and how to safely do an emergency stop. I had to assume at some point, I was taught to drive to a high standard within Kingdom, but I could never remember going outside to use a car. They would break from my normal cleaning timetable occasionally to train me up. As the boss' daughter, I would have some role later on in life within Kingdom, and I was sure as anything I would have been married off at nineteen to a Soldier of some sort and forced to have his kids if I didn't escape – but I would have been nothing more than a breeding stock. So why they would have ever taught me to drive, spent the hours with me in a car to just wipe my memory I would never know. But I knew how to drive to a high standard and saved 50 more hours learning on the roads and a small fortune in driving lessons too.

So even when I was running around the campus of Maui, reversing around building and parking in between tree's, it had been within a normal day for me. Half way through the day I had began to feel really sick, and just out of panic Ella made me do a pregnancy test which came back negative. I was simultaneously let down and relieved. I really did want to have kids but I was terrified Jason didn't want too, or he thought I was rushing it. I had panicked massively, so much so I spoke to Ella about my fears and she explained that Jason wanted the exact same, and Joe told her earlier that Jason was quizzing him about it. She explained that we were destined to be together forever, and the Soulfinder bond meant more than years together, so we were the only things holding us back. Her biological parents had their first kid when they were sixteen, which was only just about legal, but they knew they would have the support and whilst their parents didn't approve, they supported them fully and understood the circumstances. She just told me I had to speak to Jason about my fears.

She had sat with me as I tried to get better during the day; Ella wrapped me up in the blankets, gave me water and when I felt slightly better she made me lightly buttered toast and flat lemonade to help me after I threw up my lunch. With pregnancy ruled out, she could only assume I was coming down ill, and even made me have a nap which must be what she does with Lily when the toddler isn't feeling too well either.

Michael had even tried to help at one stage, coming in to sit with me and talk to me about all kinds of random stuff, none of which I would imagine him talking about. He had brought his laptop into my make shift nap room, who's actual function was a Gift Training Room, with padded walls, a ballpit, padded walls and furniture and wipe down functions too. The GTR's were used to allow people to hone into their gift, fully expand it and work on precision, which meant the ball pit balls were used to telekinetic work. However, now, I used the padded floor as a mattress, some pillow pets which were leant to me from the nursery downstairs as rudimentary pillows and three of Ella's blankets she keeps stashed around the place. Michael was filling in for Ella, and when realising I was bored shitless brought me his laptop to play Netflix.

I was hesitant around Michael, he would arrest me in seconds if he knew about my father and his crimes, but today that completely wore off. We talked around television series, and what we secretly liked binge watching. He even joined me to watch "Hell's Kitchen," but the anxiety got to me. I blurted out about my Dad, causing a nose bleed which he ruefully wiped up and told me it didn't matter. I didn't partake in anything they had done willingly, and I was my own person. He doesn't care about what crimes I committed in Kingdom to live because they were for survival. I then leant against him as I fell back asleep, and he told me he was trying to contact Jason to pick me up.

However, my stupid Soulfinder never answers his phone and he wasn't a strong telepath either, so he wouldn't be able to pick up telepathy with anyone else apart from me at such a distance and I was way too dizzy to even try. Eventually the time rolled around for me to head home (I was too shy to ask to go home earlier than my scheduled time,) and shamelessly I drifted off in Ella's car.

I can remember entering my new house, Jason greeting me with the cat, and then something about a fridge. And I passed out. Of course Jason would have been the one to take me to a hospital.

'You better have a good reason why I'm here,' I angrily whispered to the person in the room, not bothering opening my eyes.

'Personally, I don't, but I'm sure we can continue watching "Hell's Kitchen," and no one would judge us,' Michael said beside me and I jumped, opening my eyes. He wasn't Jason.

'Where's Jason?' I asked.

'Not watching "Hell's Kitchen," I'm sure,' Michael joked before noticing the death stare I was giving him. 'He went downstairs to get you in for a CAT scan,'

'Why do I need a CAT scan?' I asked terrified, starting to shake. Michael quickly stood up, pulling a blanket back onto me before gently holding my hand – not in an odd way but in an extremely comforting way.

'Don't you remember?' Michael asked softly before shaking his head, 'You fainted, hit your head hard on the work top by the sounds of it. You've been out cold for seven odd hours, which is about four more hours than most people are, he just wants to check everything is okay in your head, make sure there is no concussion or bleeding,' Michael said.

'Then why do I feel so shit?' I whispered to him and he shrugged.

'You're engaged to the medical one, not me,' He said. 'He shot me down when I mentioned about a wedding,'

'You're not being very useful,' I mumbled.

'It's one in the morning, what do you expect?' Michael said.

'It's one?' I asked shocked.

'In the morning,' He added.

'Why so early?'

'Er, I dunno, can we ask your brain that question?'

'Why are you in so early?' I shot back.

'I'm quite often here at night; I don't need much beauty sleep. I'm already at a high standard,' He joked. He clearly didn't care what he said at night, and there was a clear segregation between what he was like during the day in front of people, and on a night shift when hardly anyone was around.

'Your ego needs a rest though,' I snapped back and he grinned.

'Anything interesting happened?' Jason asked from down the hallway.

'Yeah, she woke up and immediately dissed my ego. She didn't even ask how the cat is either,' Michael replied back. He quickly leaned in. 'Get better soon, Luce,' He whispered softly, kissing my forehead in a brotherly fashion before walking out the room.

That was odd behaviour from one normally so serious. Someone was letting down their macho shield.

Not even five seconds later, Jason rushed in to the hospital room, slunked back over to the chair and quickly held my hands.

'Why didn't you tell me you weren't well?' Jason whispered, his voice tight. 'How are you feeling?'

'Still crap,' I whispered, wiping a tear away and Jason immediately sighed, rubbing my side as he telekinetically pulled a blanket up around me.

'I can't pick up anything wrong with you,' Jason told me and I curled up. 'Ella's already ruled out the obvious option, and I just have no idea,' He muttered to me, and I could tell he was worried and he was blaming himself. 'I wish I knew more about my gift,' He told me softly, 'I just want to help you,'

'This isn't your fault,' I muttered back.

'I can't help you, Luce,' He told me back.

'Then we're normal people, you don't need to help me. I've probably just got a cold or something,' I whispered back.

'Your hit your head hard when you passed out,' Jason muttered. 'You terrified me,'

'Sorry,' I apologised. 'I didn't mean too,'

'Don't be silly, don't apologise,' Jason added, playing with my hair.

'Can we go home yet?' I asked, just wanting to go home, go to bed and have a cuddle. But the glum look on his face enhances that my plans weren't going to happen.

'You've got a CAT scan in a few hours to see if you've got any brain injuries or swelling, and you've got to stay in until morning.' Jason whispered. 'I'm staying with you. You're not leaving my side,' Jason said and I just frowned. I curled up even smaller, my head throbbing.

'But you're at work tomorrow,' I muttered back. 'So am I?'

'Susan's already said you're not coming into work, you're going around Ella's tomorrow, well this morning, until I'm back from work, they don't have enough people to cover the wards tomorrow,' He muttered, kissing my forehead.

'How was everyone when you mentioned you're engaged,' I asked him and he grinned.

'Excited, called dibs to the wedding whenever it is,' He said, gently stroking my cheek.

'I don't think I want to get married just yet, though,' I mumbled to him and he just nodded

'Nor do I, so that's fine. We can focus on other things. Work, for example, or the baby at some point,' Jason told me.

'Yeah,' I said and there was a comfortable silence between us two.

'We keep mentioning about the baby, but when,' I gently asked Jason and he grinned at me.

'You're the one that's in control,' Jason told me, moving his hand over my stomach, 'Whenever,'

'Well, what about like... now?' I muttered.

'Well, not now now, surely?' Jason joked and I smiled softly. 'Yeah, we can do now. Well, not now now, but like now... you get me?' Jason said and I nodded, ignoring the throbbing in my head.

'So we're trying for a baby now?' I whispered to him, scared that phrasing it like that would scare him off. Rather, he just grinned at me.

'Yup, but not this second,' He replied, leaning forward to kiss me.

\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\

Thankfully, the CAT scan came back completely clear of any brain injuries, and I had started to feel better after a good sleep in the hospital bed. Jason had joined me in the bed, hugging me tight as I fell asleep against his chest with a medical all-clear, the only explanation to my random bout of illness was either dehydration of fatigue. Around half ten the next day, I had started to surface on my own when Jason woke me up.

'Lucy, love,' Jason whispered softly to me and I wanted to purr in content but stopped myself. 'Wake up now,'

'No,' I muttered, rolling over. Only to realise I was sitting upright, and then I opened my eyes. I was in the passenger seat of his car, and we were parked up outside Ella's and Joe's house – with only Ella's Clio in the driveway.

'How are you feeling, sweetheart?'

'Woah how did we get here. Like... here,' I asked him.

'I drove, you're really not well,' Jason muttered. 'I should stay with you,'

'No, you go do work stuff and I'll sleep.' I said, looking at him with pure worry in his eyes, 'Chill,'

'I can't chill, you're really not well and I can't do anything about it!' Jason said to me and I realised that was why he was looking so concerned; he couldn't work out why I was ill, and it was bugging him. He was getting increasingly worried because I had no reason to be ill, but he didn't have an answer. He always has an answer – this must be bugging him. I smiled slightly to myself.

'I'm fine,' I tried to convince him and he just stared straight through me. He didn't believe me.

'Right,' He simply said, 'And I'm sure if you're fine you can walk in there,' Jason said and I glared hat him. Wanting to prove his sarcastic comment, I opened the door, unclicking my seat belt before blacking out. The moment before my head hit the pavement the only thing I could think was "this was not how I wanted to show my independent control."


End file.
